The Knowing, The Brave, and The Completely Clueless
by Aldela
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple sleep over before the third semester of college started; chock full of all our favorite movies, tons of popcorn, and our loving companions. But when a freak thing happens and my apartment explodes, we all wind up dead. Except, not really. - Yes, another one of these. Hopefully, the story is better than the summary. Guess you gotta read to find out.
1. Prologue

_This is technically a self insert I suppose, as the characters have the personalities of me and two of my friends. This was originally just something I was going to write in my spare time for the heck of it, until a friend said I should post it. So here it is. If you don't like this type of story, don't read it. I accept constructive criticism, but please don't hate. I'm just another person that loves to write, no need to get nasty._

_I have three other stories out, only two of which I'm REALLY working on. I may update slow if this is something I continue to post on and if I do, I'm sorry. Life is just so busy sometimes and writer's block is a pain in the rear. If you like this and want me to keep going, leave a comment. Send me a message. If you have ideas, let me know. I may or may not use them, but I'll at least consider them. If you are here, thank you for taking the time to read this._

_Disclaimer: I only own Divan, Kijo, Suva, Rata, Tezo and Kixi. The rest is not mine._

* * *

**The Knowing, the Brave, and the Completely Clueless**

Prologue

It was supposed to be a simple sleep over before the third semester of college started; chock full of all our favorite movies, tons of popcorn, and our loving companions. But when a freak thing happens and my apartment explodes, we all wind up dead.

Oh but things can never be that simple, can they? Death would have been too simple for this story. Tales, at least good ones, are never that simple. They are complicated, full of drama, battles, hate and love. They are full of good, evil, tough decisions, harsh consequences, crippling loss and excitement that will leave you wishing for more. They teach you things about yourself and others that you never knew before. They show you the true meaning of courage and bravery, the true meaning of loyalty and family. And sometimes, they even let you find love.

* * *

I flitted around the room, picking up some of the stray items that had wandered away from their places. Of course, they hadn't actually wandered anywhere. That wasn't possible. They were items that I had set down or that had been knocked over that I just hadn't gotten around to picking up yet. Su and Ki were coming over with Tezo and Kixi and I needed to have the place as clean as possible. Sure it would probably be complete disarray afterwards but the cleaner it was now, the less messy it would be later. At least, that was my philosophy.

I had just picked up the last book that had fallen over when the doorbell went off. I hurriedly put the book back on the shelf and headed for the door. Rata, my ten year old Umbrella Cockatoo, flew towards me and landed on my shoulder. I smiled. I unlatched the lock on the door and pulled it open to reveal my two best friends and their faithful companions.

"Hey Di Di!" Kijo said excitedly; Tezo, her 3 year old male husky barked his hello and Suva and her cat Kixi said their hellos in their respective languages.

"Hello Su, Ki." Rata said from my shoulder. She was an excellent talker despite the fact that her breed of bird wasn't supposed to be able to speak that well. She was incredibly smart, as was all our animals, and could hold long conversations. She seemed to understand everything you said, just like Tezo and Kixi, though they couldn't actually speak English.

"Hey guys." I greeted, ushering them inside and shutting the door behind them "This is gonna be the best night ever."

"You bet! Su brought her _entire_ movie collection!" Ki exclaimed.

"I did not." Su retorted with a smile "Just most of it." Ki and I laughed. Su was a movie junkie, just like Ki. So since Su had a ton of movies, we decided to spend the weekend before the third semester of college started watching movies. Everything from the sappy Titanic movie to the entire Star Wars and Lord of the Rings collections to the scariest movies out there and we had pledged to watch them all.

"We're goin' to be livin' on caffeine and sugar the entire weekend." I told them, my country kid accent peeking through.

"What are you talking about? I _ALWAYS_ live off caffeine and sugar!" Ki exploded. Something told me she was living of it right then.

"We realize this Kijo. You're living off it right now, aren't you?" Suva asked, mirroring my thoughts. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

"DUH!" Ki answered "What else am I supposed to live off of?"

"Sleep and decent food." Rata answered from my shoulder. I couldn't help it this time, I busted out laughing. I could hear Su giggling.

Ki's mouth dropped open and she started to sputter. "But…. What…. Gah! Who asked you!?" Ki questioned, her face beet red.

"You did. You addressed everyone." Rata answered. Tezo barked once, as if agreeing with her. Kijo looked down at him and glared.

"You're supposed to be on my side boy!" she whined at the husky. He gave her his equivalent of a grin. She huffed like a five year old child, crossing her arms over her chest. "Meanie." She muttered.

I had tears in my eyes by the time I was done laughing and Su was holding her sides, saying ouch in-between her giggles. Ki was hysterical with her five year old attitude and joyous nature. Very rarely did you ever see her anything but happy.

"It's your guys' mission in life to embarrass me isn't it?" Ki asked us. Su and I shared a glance before turning back to her.

"Yeah, pretty much." We answered in sync. This time all three of us laughed; Tezo, Kixi and Rata joining in with barks, meows, and birdy laughter.

"Alright, that's enough excitement for right now. What do you say we get these bad boys going?" Su announced. Ki nodded excitedly like a little kid on Christmas being asked if they were ready to open presents. I chuckled.

"I'll get the popcorn. Su, get the movies ready. Ki, wanna get drinks?" I asked. She nodded and with another chuckle the four of us headed to the kitchen while Su and Kixi got the first movie of the night going.

Ten minutes, a pot of coffee, a six pack of Dr. Pepper, another six pack of Pepsi, two bags of skittles, another two bags of jolly ranchers, three freshly made batches of hard butterscotch candies, a huge metal bowl and five bags of popcorn later was only the start of our movie night. There would be a lot more where that came from. Kijo and I carried all we could, Tezo carrying a bag of skittles between his teeth and Rata flying in with a bag of jolly ranchers in her talons. Su laughed, getting up and following us back into the kitchen, helping us carry in what was left of the goodies.

"Awe, The Notebook? Really?!" Ki exclaimed as we re-entered the living room. She pretended to hate sappy romantic movies but really she loved them. She was a hopeless romantic at heart, just like I was.

"Yes, really. We have to start off with something that will make us want it to be over. Otherwise where's the fun in a movies night if we don't want to watch anything else?" Su explained. Ki huffed but relented.

I excused myself long enough to grab pillows and blankets, making a second trip to get more. It was winter still, and it was supposed to be quite cold tonight. I had the heat cranked up, but the cold still managed to seep in. I dumped the bedding on the floor and told them to pick what they wanted. Once we all had our respective blankets and pillows, we settled onto the couch, our pets taking up their places. Tezo and Kixi on Ki and Su's laps and Rata on my arm. As Su hit the play button, we all grabbed a handful of popcorn and the movie night began.

About an hour and a half later had all of us crying as the movie went off. Ki decided we needed something with more humor and happiness, so she picked the next movie while Su and I grabbed more drinks and food. When we returned, the main menu of Madagascar was up on the screen. I grinned. Madagascar was one of my favorite movies! We settled back into our spots and hit play.

When all three Madagascar movies were over, Suva and Kijo deemed it my turn to pick as they left for more drinks and food. I scanned through the movie case. What to watch? Then my eyes caught sight of another of my favorite movie trilogies. The Lord of the Rings! A huge grin lit of my face as I took the first of the movies out of its case. We had already seen The Hobbit, we had went to the movies to watch it so all we needed to watch now was The Lord of the Rings. Ki had been begging me and Su to teach her everything there was to know about the trilogy of books and movies. What better time to do that, then on movie night?

I popped it into the DVD player and waited for the main menu to pop up. Once it was up, I went to help Ki and Su with the food, drinks and candy. When we walked back into the living room, Kijo squealed when she saw what we were watching.

"I love you right now Di!" she shouted, glomping me in a hug. I laughed.

"You're welcome." I chuckled, patting her back. We headed back to get the rest of the stuff when it started.

It was just a low hum at first. I almost didn't think anything of it. Many things in my apartment hummed when they kicked on. It was strange. I set down the drinks I was carrying.

"Di? What's wrong?" Suva asked me. My head cocked as I listened to the humming as it got louder and louder.

"You guys hear that?" I asked my two best friends.

"The humming?" Kijo asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, I hear it. But isn't that normal?"

"Normally, yeah. But this time it's not. Nothin' in here hums like that. Ever." I told them. They shared a look.

"Should we be worried?" Suva asked nervously. I didn't respond for a few minutes, listening as the humming continued to get louder and louder. By the time I realized what it was, it was too late.

"Yeah," I muttered "We need to be _very _worried."

The last thing I was aware of, was the loud boom as my apartment exploded.


	2. Chapter 1

**Well, I must say. This is quite fun to write. These characters are supposed to be based of people I know and myself, so it's not quite as hard to get the feel for the characters since I already know exactly how they'd act. It's fun, I just hope it's not Mary Sue-ish. I'm trying not to make it so, I hope I'm succeeding. Thank you to all the people who have read and followed this story. I didn't get any comments but the follows on it seem to say enough. So here's chapter one. Let's see what kind of response this chappy gets. If ya'll feel up to it, leave a comment and tell me who's your favorite so far and why. I have a very curious friend who wishes to know, but I won't deny I'm curious too :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, that goes to J.R.R. Tolkien. I own Kijo, Tezo, Rata, Divan, Suva and Kixi.**

**P.S. **_"Italics"=elvish 'Italics'=thoughts._

* * *

_Divan_

I groaned when I finally came to. Using my forearms, I pushed myself into a half sitting position. My head spun and one of my hands shot up to hold my sore head. What happened? I heard a loud squawk from somewhere to my left. Rata! I forced my eyes back open from where they had closed and turned my head to look for my companion.

She was standing, her top feathers standing up and the rest of her body puffed out like it always was when she was either afraid or protecting. She was snapping at the handle of something and as I followed the length of the handle up, I saw shinning metal and a red beard. I blinked a few times in shock before it truly registered that this person, whoever they were, was poking at my bird. My eyes narrowed and I got to my feet. "What do you think you're doin'?" I questioned the short bearded man angrily. Rata, seeing me awake and on my feet, took off and flew to her spot on my shoulder. She landed a little shakily, feathers still puffed out, ready for a fight.

The bearded man blinked before he smiled. At least, I think it was a smile. It was hard to tell with all that hair. "Ah, the lass is awake!" he exclaimed, setting the handled object, an axe, down blade first and leaning on the handle "I feared ye were badly hurt. Ye took quite a tumble lassie!"

My eyebrows drew together as I processed his words. What _had _happened? The last thing I remember was… was my apartment exploding. I almost groaned out loud, but managed to keep it to a mental groan. Great, I was dead. But if I was dead, how was I standing right here perfectly fine? And who was the short man with the red beard and axe? I looked towards him. He was watching me, observing my mental interrogation of myself. I decided a few questions were in order. I wasn't going to figure out where I was if I didn't ask.

"Where am I? And who are you, if I may ask." I kept my voice calm and curious, almost the exact opposite of what I was really feeling. I was definitely not calm, that's for sure.

"Why, yer in Erebor! Also known as The Lonely Mountain, though it certainly isn't lonely anymore!" he said, laughing at his own joke. I probably would have laughed too, had the name of the place not been my only focus. Erebor, The Lonely Mountain. In other words, Middle Earth. How the hell had we gotten here?

I looked at the short bearded man. I knew what he was now, a dwarf. They were the only creatures in Middle Earth with that much hair. And as I studied his features, I realized just who I was talking to. Gimli, son of Gloín and a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. But, just to make sure, I asked his name again.

"May I ask what your name is?" I asked, speaking the way I remembered people from Middle Earth speaking. They spoke like the old time medieval people. Speaking like the backwoods hick that I was often called would raise many questions that I didn't want to half to try lying through. I didn't need to push it.

The dwarf that I guess was Gimli laughed again. "Of course ye can, lassie!" he bellowed out in his rough, dwarvish voice "I am Gimli, son of Gloín. May I ask yer name, lassie?" I nodded slowly.

"I am Divan." I told him and then gestured to Rata who still sat perched on my shoulder. She wasn't puffed out now, though her top feathers were still raised. "This is Rata, my bird."

Gimli gave an almost thoughtful nod. "That's why it kept puffing up whenever I came near ya. When I first saw it, I thought the thing was trying to eat ya! Kept pecking at ya it did. That's why I was poking at It." he grunted. I almost laughed at his explanation as to why he had been poking at her. The thought of Rata trying to eat me was quite amusing in my eyes. Rata didn't think so.

"I would never even think of it." she retorted to the dwarf. Gimli jumped, his eyes going wide as he looked up to stare at Rata, who almost looked like she was glaring at him.

"Did- did the bird just speak!?" he asked incredulously. I chuckled at his astonishment.

"Yes, she spoke. She is a bird that is capable of mimicking the words we speak. Her high intelligence gives her the ability to understand what she hears and form sentences that correctly answer or reply to almost anything you say." I explained to him. He gaped at Rata, whose feathers ruffled slightly at the attention. She didn't seem to like this. Gimli cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed and still amazed.

"Where'd ye come from lassie? How did ya get here? And _what _are ye wearing?!" the dwarf exclaimed. I down to find myself still in my red angry birds sweat pants and blue tank top. I pursed my lips. How was I going to explain this one?

"I am… not sure how I got here." I started. That wasn't a lie. I had no idea how I got here. By all rights I should be ash in my apartment right now. "I – I am from a place far from here that much I know. The name and the location evade me. I do not remember. The clothes are likely from my home, wherever it may be." That was complete crap, but I wasn't about to try to explain the wonders of Earth to Gimli nor the wonders of how the heck I'd gotten here. Just no.

The dwarf pondered for a moment, looking me up and down as if examining me. I resisted the urge to shift on my feet. I hated attention of any kind. I was always more than content to stay hidden amongst the shadows when it came to being in the spotlight.

"So ye have no idea where ye are from? No idea how to get back?" he asked me. I nodded slowly, trying to act the part of someone that was lost and confused. I was confused for sure. Lost, not so much. I'd read "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" books so I at least knew where I was at. I probably couldn't get from place to place by myself, but I wasn't totally lost.

Gimli hummed for a moment, considering this. "Ye have nowhere to stay, either, do ya lassie?" he asked. Again, I shook my head.

"I have nothing save for the clothes I wear and the bird perched on my shoulder." I told him. Rata made a huffing noise from my shoulder, probably thinking to herself that it was obvious we had nothing but each other. I glanced sideways at her, glaring slightly so she knew to stay quiet. She made that huffing sound again but settled further onto my shoulder and shook out her feathers. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Ye can stay here in the mountain with us if ye wish lassie. 'Tis no trouble at all. We shall find someone that can make ye some new garments. Something more… common." The dwarf announced. I was surprised. Here I was, an oddly clothed stranger with an uncommon pet, and he was willing to let me stay? Shouldn't he be pointing that axe at me threatening to chop off my head with it?

"You are letting me stay? A stranger amongst your people?" I asked, the surprise leaking into my voice "Should you not be threatening me with bodily harm and questioning my loyalties? Or something of the sort at the very least?" Gimli laughed.

"I should be, yes. Ye are a stranger from lands unknown but I do not see any foulness in ye lassie. Ye are no spy or traitor, I can tell. Ye are honest with the words ye speak. Ye are welcome here, and ye are welcome to stay." He stated, a smile on his face. My eyebrows raised in shock but after a moment, a small smile wormed its way onto my face. I nodded to the dwarf, bowing my head to him.

"You are most gracious. I thank you for the offer. I shall stay, as long as it is no trouble to you or your people." I returned.

"'Tis no trouble at all lassie. We shall enjoy teaching ye the ways of the dwarves. Now come. Let us find someone who can make ye some garments that look more normal." He said, stepping forwards to grab my hand and tug me along. I jerk some and Rata let out a squawk as she tried not to fall from my shoulder.

We followed behind the dwarf as he led us down hallways and rooms that looked more like caves, which I suppose they were. I got many stares from other dwarves and I wondered why Gimli had been the only one near me. Had there not been others around?

"Why were there no others with you? Were you alone when you found me?" I asked Gimli. The dwarf turned his head to look at me before facing forward again and turning down another hallway.

"Nay. My father, Gloín, was with me. Ye were out for some time lassie. My father left to go tend to a dispute. He said he wished to speak with ye when ye woke though. Once we are finished with the tailor we shall go see my father." He answered me. I nodded and continued to follow him through the halls. We eventually came to another cave/room. Inside was dark haired dwarf. I guessed it to be a man but I couldn't be sure. I remembered from the movies that Gimli had said dwarf women looked like men. I only hoped Gimli clarified before I had to speak.

"Zolana, my good woman!" Gimli exclaimed, answering my silent gender question "We are in need of yer services!" the dark haired dwarf woman looked up at Gimli, a smile on her face.

"What'd ye do now, Gimli? Stain another shirt with ale?" the woman joked. I could see Gimli scowled playfully at her.

"I have done no such thing!" he exclaimed "'Tis not I that needs ye assistance today Zola. This lassie needs some new garments." The dwarf woman looked over at me and I met her gaze.

"I should say! What _are_ ye wearing?!" she exclaimed as she evaluated me. I shrugged my shoulders slightly, not sure what to say. She came towards me and I could feel Rata's talons digging into my shoulder. I flexed the shoulder she was sitting on, trying to silently tell her to calm down. This dwarf lady wouldn't hurt me. At least, I didn't think she would.

"Oh this won't do. Come with me lassie. We shall get ye measured and I shall have some garments ready for you within a few days. Until then, I do believe I have something you can wear. It may be a tad small but it should work well enough." She grabbed my hand much like Gimli had done and tugged me along. I shot an almost terrified look at Gimli, who just laughed at my expression.

"Go easy on the lassie, Zolana!" he called as we disappeared around a corner. Her laughter echoed back down the hallway behind us. I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat and prayed that the dwarf woman wouldn't poke me with any needles.

_Kijo_

The wet tongue and quiet whimpering were what brought Kijo back to reality. She groaned, one of her hands lifting up to her head, which felt as if it weighed a ton. The wet tongue made another appearance and the whimpers got a little louder. Kijo used the arm that wasn't at her head to push herself up into a semi-sitting position. She blinked her eyes open, letting them become adjusted to the light filtering through the window.

Window?

Kijo turned her aching head to the source of the light. A balcony was to the right of her, a window in front and slightly to the right, almost next to the balcony. Early morning light filtered through both the balcony and the window, illuminating the room in a soft haze of gold. Kijo blinked once before reaching up to rub her eyes. She was dreaming. She had to be.

The wet tongue came again and Kijo turned her head to find her loyal friend laying on the bed next right beside her, concern in his blue eyes and his sloppy tongue hanging out. A bed? Kijo was as confused as a bear in winter. Where was she? Who had brought her here? And what the fudge had happened? Tezo's alerting growl told Kijo that someone was coming. She couldn't hear them, whoever they were, but she was only human. Tezo's ears were much better than her own.

Kijo clutched to her dog's fur in slight fear. She had no idea where she was, who was coming, or what exactly had happened to her. The last thing she remembered was having a conversation about an abnormal buzzing sound with Suva and Divan as they got their food and drinks before the next movie…

Oh.

Kijo's eyes widened as she remembered the conversation and the single event that had happened afterwards. A huge boom, burning red, and expanding heat. Death, in the form of an explosion. But, if she was dead, then why was she alive? Kijo's head hurt just thinking the words.

"You are awake." The voice was deep and definitely male. Kijo looked up to find a tall male with long dark hair standing in the doorway of the room she was staying in. He looked vaguely familiar. Had she seen him somewhere before? She wasn't sure but she thought she had.

"Where – where am I?" Kijo asked him. He had kind, wise eyes but she still didn't trust him. Despite her outgoing personality, new people terrified her sometimes. Especially older, male new people. There was no telling what a male would do to a woman. Just because they looked nice, didn't mean they were.

"You are in Rivendell in The Last Homely House. This is my home. I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell." The male announced, sounding proud but not overly so. Kijo's eyes widened as she stared at the dark haired man.

Rivendell? The Last Homely House? Elrond?! Now she knew why he was familiar. He was that elf guy from the movie about the short dude that found the ring and the dragon! Oh, what was the name of that movie? It started with an 'H' didn't it? Hil, no that wasn't right. Hib, no, no, no that wasn't it! Hob, Hobi, Hobbil, Hobbit. That was it!

"The Hobbit!" she exclaimed, not realizing she'd said it out loud. That was the name of that movie that Suva, Divan and she had went to see. About the hobbit who found a magic ring on his way to destroy a dragon! They'd met this elf-lord of Rivendell on their journey!

"I beg your pardon?" Elrond asked bemusedly. Realizing that she had spoken the words out loud, she clamped her mouth, her eyes going wide again. _'Ah crap.'_ She thought to herself.

"Uhmm… n–nothing!" she stuttered out. This was bad. This was very, very bad. She was dead, or she was supposed to be, in a world she knew absolutely nothing about beside the name and the very place she sat in, she had no idea what had happened to Suva and Divan plus Kixi and Rata, and now she would probably have to try to explain Earth to an elf. Could this day get any better?

"You are not from this world." The elf in the doorway stated. Before she could stop herself, her head snapped up and she found herself saying words that would probably have been better left unsaid.

"You know?!"

The elf gave a wiry grin. "Yes, I know. Your manner of dress was… quite peculiar at best. Also, I sensed when you entered this world. There was a shift. I did not know it was you, however, until my sons brought you and your wolf companion back with them. They said getting your companion to let them near you was quite difficult." He answered back calmly "He is quite protective of you."

Kijo nodded. "He always has been, even when he was a puppy." She replied, scratching behind her dog's ears. "He's always been – Wait? Did you say wolf?" Elrond's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"That is what he is. He is a most oddly colored wolf though. I have not seen such colorings on a wolf." Elrond replied. Kijo gaped at him.

"This is freaky. I'm supposed to be dead but I'm not. I wind up in that world from The Hobbit, and now my dog's a wolf. This day keeps getting weirder and weirder…" Realizing that she had spoken out loud once again, she clapped her hand over her mouth.

Elrond was staring at her, a mix of curiosity and confusion written plainly on his face. What was she supposed to say? Could she tell this man, err elf, what had happened? Would he believe her? He knew she was from another world, another time, so believing her didn't seem that hard. But what about the whole possibility of revealing too much information? Would she do that? She knew very little about this place or what happened in the books. She'd only half paid attention during The Hobbit but from what she remembered that was past news anyway. Was it safe to tell him?

Kijo looked up at the elf-lord. One of his eyebrows was raised in silent question. Kijo sighed. She was probably going to regret this, but she didn't really see how she had a choice. She needed to find out what had happened and this elf seemed like the best idea to do that at this point. As long as she didn't tell him too much, she'd be fine. It was just figuring out _what_ was too much that would be the hard part.

"I'm –" Kijo swallowed the lump in her throat "I'm from a place called Earth. It's a lot like this place in some ways but it's also really different. I lived on my own with Tezo here." She said, gesturing to the wolf by her side. "We… we went to my friend Divan's house for a movie night. We were getting popcorn before we started the next movie when Divan heard it. It was a buzzing sound. Suva, one of my other friends, and I asked if we should be worried about it. None of us realized what it was until it was too late. Divan's apartment exploded. We all would have been dead almost instantly. And now me and Tezo, we're here. And I don't know how that happened."

Elrond took a few moments to process everything she had said. She could almost see the wheels turning as he analyzed everything. She didn't know if she had said too much, she hoped she hadn't. Telling him anything at all about what happened could effect this world or even her own. Kijo resisted the urge to groan at her own stupidity. Why did it always seem like she was making stupid decisions?

"You have quite the tale to tell." Elrond started, acting as if he too was not sure how to begin "I do not understand what some of what you spoke of is. If you are willing, I would like to listen to your tale in more detail. Perhaps I can help you with your troubles and help you find why you are here, or how you will get back to your own world." Kijo shook her head.

"I don't think I'm going back. I was dead in my world. I don't know how I ended up here, but I know I'm not going back to my world." She said sadly. She would miss Earth and all its perks. Especially coffee. How was she going to live without coffee? The elves were in for a rough time if she was going to be going through caffeine withdrawal.

"Perhaps, then, we shall discover why you were brought to our world. Come," he said, gesturing for her to stand and follow him "this topic is better discussed in my study where there is not the possibility of listening ears."

Kijo swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood shakily. The now slightly big than before, now turned wolf Tezo jumped down from the bed and padded silently beside his mistress. Kijo followed the Elf-lord down long, maze like hallways that were definitely going to prove trouble navigating. She was lost in her thoughts, unsure of what this would bring for both her and the people of this world, when Elrond's deep voice interrupted her.

"You have not told me your name, milady. May I ask it?"

"Huh? Oh yea. I'm Kijo." Kijo answered. She could see the elf's head bob up in down and let out a quiet sigh. What else could happen today?

_Suva_

The first thing Suva thought was that she had been drinking, which was absurd. Suva _never_ drank. She couldn't remember ever touching a drop of alcohol. But if she hadn't been drinking and it wasn't a hangover, why did her head hurt like she had been? Suva groaned, pushing herself up into a sitting position so that she could hold her head in her hands. What happened?

The cat like growl had Suva alarmed. Only a handful of times had she ever heard that growl but, had it always been that loud? Suva didn't remember and she would take time later to try. Right now, her loyal cat was growling at something she deemed a threat to the safety of herself and Suva. That needed Suva's full attention. She looked around her, trying to find her loyal friend, but was met with legs. Human legs.

Following the legs up, Suva was met face to face with a very sharp looking arrow. Suva's eyes widened and she let out a sound that was equivalent to a meep. She tried backing up, but was met with something sharp poking into her back which made her jump forwards. Almost into the arrow in front of her.

Spinning around, Suva found she was surrounded by tall men, all with blonde hair and bows with sharp arrows draw and ready to be fired. Suva was terrified. Who wouldn't be? Her eyes slid to the cat next to her. A cat that wasn't just a simple bobtail cat anymore, but one that was a much larger, wild looking bobcat. It looked like Kixi, it _was _Kixi. Just, a whole lot bigger version of Kixi.

An eerily familiar voice spoke in a language that was both foreign and known to Suva. Suva was surprised to find that she knew exactly what the voice was saying, even though she knew she had never learned this language before. It was elvish, a language spoken by the elves of Middle Earth, a fictional world made up by J.R.R. Tolkien. So who was this guy and why was he speaking it?

When the voice didn't receive an answer from Suva, he re-asked the question, shoving the arrow a little closer. Suva meeped again, scooting closer to her bobcat who let out another cat-like growl. She didn't know how she knew how to answer, but she would answer just so that hopefully these men would stop pointing the arrows at her.

"_I – I – I a-am Suva." _Suva answered shakily, clutching to the fur of Kixi.

"_What business do you have in the woods of King Thranduil?"_ the man asked her. Suva's eyebrows shot up. Thranduil? As in Mirkwood King, Thranduil? As in Legolas' father, Thranduil? As in "The Lord of the Rings"? She was dreaming, she had to be. There was no way she was sitting, terrified, in the middle of the Mirkwood woods with elven archers surrounding her while her bobtail cat turned wild bobcat growled at said elven archers. Just. Not. Possible. She must have fallen asleep during the movie night and –

Right, she was dead.

She remembered now. Going in to get popcorn and other things before the next movie. It had been Divan's turn to pick and Suva knew what she would pick. The Lord of the Rings. It was one of her favorite movies and Suva knew that they would be watching it during their movie night. She'd been right. They all three (Divan, Kijo and herself) had all went back into the kitchen to get the rest of the goods when the buzzing had started. Divan had said it was abnormal. None of them realized until it was too late just how abnormal it was. Now, they were all nothing but ash in Divan's apartment. Well, she wasn't. Somehow, Suva had ended up in the middle of Mirkwood. Not where she would have guessed she was going.

The arrow was pushed into her face again, reminding her that she had been asked another question that she hadn't answered. How, exactly, was she supposed to tell these elves what she was doing in Mirkwood if _she_ didn't know? Suva gulped in some air and decided it was time to just wing it. Wasn't that what Divan said whenever she was in a tight situation?

"_I… have no business in these woods." _ Suva began, making up the story as she went along _"But it seems my horse thought otherwise."_ The elf in front of her, the one who had first spoke and also the one that looked hauntingly familiar, narrowed his eyes.

"_Where were you going and where do you come from? And what of the… cat that protects you so?"_ the elf asked coldly. Suva refrained from panicking. That would only get her into more trouble. Where had she come from that would make the most sense?

"_I come from Rohan. I was traveling for the west, a small city of men resides there and I wished to join them. To get away from the evils of my homeland. As for the cat, she is mine. I have raised her since she was but a mere kitten. She lost her mother to orcs and was left to die. I found her and have raised her ever since."_ It sounded convincing enough, she supposed. Suva had never been a good actor or liar, so the true test of her skills would be whether or not these elves believed her.

"_You say you travel to get away from the evil and yet you travel alone? A maiden, by herself. That is asking to be attacked." _The elf replied. Suva bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself calm.

"_I am no stranger to weapons or to battle. I lived in a small village that was on the edge of Rohan. We were never well protected and were forced to protect ourselves. I am no stranger to a blade, but I do not like them. I fight only if I must."_ Suva told him. She was still trying to figure out who he was. The golden blonde hair and striking blue eyes were so familiar. Who was he?

"_Yet you carry none with you." _The elf stated. He was examining her again. Those ice blue eyes made her want to squirm. Were all elves gazes so intense?

"_My weapons were attached to my saddle. My horse has disappeared, taking my weapons and my supplies with him."_ Suva retorted.

"_We had seen no horses nor heard no hooves. He did not go further into the forest."_ the elf said.

"_He would not have. He would have returned to Rohan. He did not wish to leave to begin with."_ Suva murmured.

Suva could tell that he wasn't sure what to make of her. She couldn't tell if he believed the tale she had spun or not and she didn't dare turn to look and see if any of the other elves seemed to believe it. She was treading thin ice as it was. No need to make it worse.

"_How does a maiden of Rohan know the language of the elves?"_ the elf finally asked. Suva's hand clutched a little tighter to her cat's fur. How was she going to explain this one?

"_My father… he traveled much and was well school. He told me that he had visited a group of elves once, for several years he lived among them. He never told me why, though I always asked. I fear it was because of unfortunate events that he came to be with them and does not like to speak of it."_ Suva tried not to hold her breath, knowin that would alert the elves to a lie. Holding your breath was a key sign, it meant you were waiting to see if the people you were speaking to would believe you. The elf in front of her examined her for a few more moments before he gave an order for the other elves to lower their bows. Suva almost sighed in relief.

"_You will come with me. You shall have audience with the King and he shall decide what actions we will take."_ the elf announced with an air of authority. Suva gave a shaky nod.

With some effort, Suva managed to push herself to her feet. Kixi stayed right by her side, her body taunt and ready to spring at any moment. She looked like the lethal bobcat that she now was. She just hoped she didn't attack anyone. They had already died once, no need to do it again.

Suva followed behind the elf that had spoken to her. He told another elf to continue the patrol and that he would return as soon as the matter at hand was dealt with. The elf nodded and bowed his head in respect, quietly responding with a _"Yes, Prince Legolas."_

Suva realized why he looked so familiar. This was Legolas! The woodland prince and a member of the fellowship! Suva gulped. An audience with the prince and his father. Oh dear, this could not end well.

Suva received many stares as she and Kixi followed behind the prince. The people of Mirkwood must have found her very strange indeed. She was human, first of all. She had a bobcat at her side. She was also dressed weirdly. Suva knew then and there that they had believed none of her tale. She was dressed to strangely for them to have believed she was from Rohan. Suva held back a groan. So much for Divan's "Just wing it" idea. Suva couldn't think of a time she had ever done something more stupid.

When they got to the palace, Legolas spoke to two wary guards, telling them what had transpired and that he needed to speak with the kind about the matter. After five minutes of harsh words and a few orders, the guards let them pass. They entered the palace and Legolas led her towards the throne room, where his father would most likely be.

When they entered, the room was mostly empty. Only Thranduil and two of his council were in the room, speaking in hushed tones. When they noticed Legos, Suva and Kixi, the two council men stood and bowed in respect to the prince, who hastily bowed back.

"_Father, I wish to speak to you on a matter." _Thranduil nodded his head as a sign to continue.

"_Alone, if I may."_ Legolas said. Thranduil eyed his son for a moment before switching his gaze to Suva and Kixi. Suva tried not to squirm. She knew where Legolas got his eyes.

"_You are dismissed."_ Thranduil said to the two council men. They bowed and hurriedly left the hall, leaving the four of them alone. Thranduil stood from his throne and descended the stairs, walking towards Legolas and Suva.

"_Who is this, Legolas?"_ Thranduil asked _"And why is she here?"_

"_She calls herself by the name of Suva. She says she had no business in Mirkwood and claims she was traveling for the west from Rohan." _Legolas shot Suva a look _"She speaks elvish, father."_

That made the King's eyebrows raise in surprise. The woodland king walked towards her, curiosity written on his face. He stopped five feet from her at Kixi's warning growl and glanced down at the large cat that now stood in front of Suva.

"_Most peculiar." _He stated _"You are not from Rohan. You do not appear to be from Middle Earth at all. Your manner of clothing is strange, nothing of Middle Earth, or at least nothing that any of these elves have seen. You speak elvish, yet appear to have no elvish background and you hold company with a wild cat."_

Suva gulped again. What was she going to say to that? Lying more would likely get her killed. She was likely to be killed anyhow. She couldn't tell them that she was from Earth. She couldn't risk screwing up the time line of middle earth. But she couldn't lie to them. They already knew she had lied the first time!

"_The words you spoke to my son and his guard were untrue. Why? Be you a spy from Dol Guldur?"_ Thranduil questioned. Suva shook her head.

"_I am no spy, my lord."_ Suva said, bowing her head.

"_Then what are you, maiden? You are no Rohirrim."_ Thranduil stated. Suva sighed.

"_I fear I cannot tell you, my lord."_ Suva returned. She knew the words would get her killed, but she couldn't tell them. Not without risking messing up everything.

"_And why is that?"_ Thranduil asked. His voice was devoid of emotion. Suva almost winced. He sounded so cold and yet so emotionless.

"_I fear if I tell you, then I shall upturn everything that has or will happen to Middle Earth. If I were to tell you my story, I would first have to speak with the wizard Mithrandir."_ It was the truth. If there was anyone she could tell even the slightest bit of information to without messing things up, it would be Gandalf. For all she knew, Gandalf already knew she was here and was working on finding the answer as to why.

Thranduil considered her for a moment. Suva watched as he turned to Legolas.

"_There was a request that a representative of Mirkwood be sent to the council of Elrond. Mithrandir will likely appear at this council. In a week's time, when you leave, she shall go with you. She will speak with Mithrandir and learn of her troubles."_ Thranduil turned back to her _"I wish to hear this tale once it has been decided that you may speak of it. Until then, however, you shall remain in these halls. You shall accompany Prince Legolas when he journeys to the council."_ Suva nodded to the king.

"_Yes, my lord."_ She answered timidly. She was still afraid that he would have her killed. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Legolas nod at his father. Thranduil nodded back and turned, starting back towards his chair before pausing.

"_I am putting you in charge of her care, Legolas. See to it that she receives new, less odd clothing and show her to a spare room that she may stay in."_ Legolas' eyebrows drew down, but he once again nodded.

"_I told Raulon that I would return to the borders. If I am to watch over the lady, can someone be sent to inform them that I shall not be returning?"_ the prince asked. Thranduil nodded as he climbed the stairs and took his seat.

"_They shall be informed of the new arrangements."_ Thranduil stated _"You are free to go." _

Legolas nodded and gestured for Suva to follow him. She did, almost as if she was on autopilot, Kixi following right at her heels. That meeting had went considerably better than she had expected. She had expected to be killed. Basically being told she must return to tell her tale after she visits Rivendell was definitely better than death. She watched Legolas' back as he led her down more hallways that she would never remember her way around. This would be an interesting week, that's for sure. A week with Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, as her guide? Not exactly what she'd had planned, but she supposed she could work with it. So long as she survived the encounter. She did _not _wish to be on the receiving end of his bow again.


	3. Chapter 2

_11,587 words. 11,587. That's the most words I have ever written for one chapter on ANY story I have. Dang, that's a lot of words. Anyway, here's chapter 2. I had fun writing this and laughed quite a bit. Don't know if you guys will or not but a girl can hope, right? Anyway, here ya go. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR as I have stated the last two chapters. I think I'm going to just quit putting it on here. We all know I'm not Tolkien..._

"_Elvish" _ _' Regular thoughts' _ _**'Mental conversation'**_

* * *

_Kijo_

Three days. She had been in Middle Earth three days. It had been the most confusing three days of her life. Everything was so different and with the lack of caffeine in Middle Earth, she was cranky from withdrawal. The ethereal beauty of Rivendell seemed to help ease the withdrawal, but it was still present and still caused problems for the elves she was in contact with.

She snapped at them quite often and received many glares because of it. She tried to apologize for it and while the words "I'm sorry" did come out, she couldn't tell the elves why she was in such a bad mood. She had already took a risk and explained Earth to Elrond, she didn't need to dig herself a deeper hole and tell other elves. She only hoped that she didn't tick off the wrong elf.

Most of the elves seemed to find her interesting. They didn't look at her like she was some strange three headed creature like she thought they would, which led Kijo to believe that she wasn't the first human that they had had around the city. They gave many stares to Tezo, who never left her side, though. A wolf, a strangely marked one at that, alongside a human wasn't something the elves had seen before.

Right now, she stood on the balcony of the room she had in The Last Homely House. Elrond's daughter, Arwen, sat on the bed in the room. She had a book in her hand and there were several other books scattered around her on the bed. Arwen, at the request of her father, was teaching Kijo the ways of the elves and of the history of Middle Earth. Arwen was also trying to teach her elvish, but that wasn't turning out well.

"If you are going to remain here, you will need to know the history and the language of our people." Arwen stated in her quiet voice. Kijo huffed to herself.

"I know, but you don't understand how hard this is! Everything is upside down for me!" Kijo exclaimed. Arwen had been told a watered down, less revealing version of her story. More or less, she had been told the Kijo was from a land far away and that she would be remaining with the people of Rivendell until they could figure out how she'd gotten there.

"I understand that you are at odds. Being in a strange land that you do not know is very difficult. But you must try to learn." Arwen said. Kijo sighed and retreated to the bed, Tezo following at her heels like always.

"I know." Kijo sighed "Let's do this." She sat down on the bed, picking up one of the books that was laying on the bed. Tezo laid down at her feet, setting his head on his paws.

Kijo had discovered two days ago that Tezo could talk. Well, he couldn't talk like she or Arwen could. She had asked Elrond about it when she had first discovered it. It had been a surprisingly deep voice in her head. She had almost had a spaz attack when the voice had told her that it was Tezo. When she'd asked Elrond, he'd told her that because of their jump to Middle Earth, the bond between Tezo and herself had grown. They could speak to each other now through a mental bond. It was strange, having him able to understand her thoughts, but it wasn't unwelcomed. She had dreamed of being able to talk to the dog ever since she had first gotten him. The bond also helped to comfort her when the fear of being in a new place set in.

It wasn't so helpful when he was laughing at her. Tezo seemed to find her predicament quite amusing. Glancing down at the down dog, Kijo glared.

"_**Shut up."**_ Kijo mentally mumbled at her companion. Tezo gave a wolfish grin.

"_**It's amusing to watch you trying."**_ He told her. It earned him another glare.

"Kijo, are you listening?" Kijo jerked her head back up to look at Arwen. The elf princess had a stern look on her face that made Kijo shrink back.

"Sorry Arwen." Kijo mumbled. She heard the laughter in her head and snapped at him to be quiet. Tezo continued snickering for a few more moments before he let his laughter fade.

"If you are going to learn, you must pay attention." Arwen stated. Kijo nodded.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to focus." Kijo murmured. Arwen nodded gently.

"Alright. What have you learned so far?" Arwen asked. Kijo, digging into her memory, started to recite everything that she had been taught over the last three days.

The next day

Kijo stood on the balcony that she had stood on the day before. Her hands were braced against the railing as she leaned against it, staring down at the city before her. It really was beautiful, with the houses built into the hillside and the waterfall right down the middle of the city. There were trees and flowers everywhere, decorating the land. Even the houses looked like something right out of the earth. It was beautiful.

"_**It's nothing like home."**_ Tezo murmured in her mind. Kijo looked down at the wolf by her side. She sighed.

"_**It really isn't. Home is so much different, full of things that aren't in Middle Earth." **_Kijo sighed again and looked back out over the city _**"I miss home, I really do. I miss technology and I REALLY miss coffee."**_ Kijo looked down at Tezo again. _**"I know I'll never see home again, but I don't know how well I'm going to adjust to living in Middle Earth… Oh, I really wish Su and Di were here. They knew everything there was to know about this place. They could help. I need my best friends."**_

Tezo gave a dog-like sigh. _**"I miss home too. Curling up on the couch watching TV and eating popcorn? I will miss that for the rest of my days, however long that may be. However, I'm not sure that I object to staying here. It's nice here and these elves are kind. I could get used to living here, but I miss them too. I miss Rata and Kixi. I miss Suva and Divan too."**_ Tezo told her. He set his head down on his paws and a sad look came upon his face. _**"It's definitely not the same without them."**_ Kijo chuckled humorlessly.

"_**No,"**_ Kijo sighed, turning once again to look out over Rivendell _**"It isn't." **_

They remained in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the early morning air. Kijo had always been an early riser, even before coming to Middle Earth. She seemed and even earlier riser now, as she hadn't been able to sleep much at all since coming to Middle Earth. Despite how comfortable everything was, it was just too different for her to be able to sleep soundly. She was used to the hum of city life, since she lived in an apartment in town because of college. The quiet peace of Rivendell would take adjustment. And now, with no internet or TV, Kijo had to find other ways of occupying her time.

"_**Wanna go down into the city?"**_ Kijo asked suddenly. She needed to be out of this room. She usually didn't get claustrophobic, but now the walls of this room seemed to be closing in around her. She needed out, or she was going to blow. Tezo, sensing this, agreed to going out and stood up, stretching.

Kijo changed out of the sleepwear she had been given and into one of the finely made elven dresses. Dresses had never been something she'd worn often, but here in Middle Earth, dresses were customary of women. She hadn't been too excited, but if she was going to be living in Middle Earth, she had to start doing things there way. At least, as much as she could handle at one time.

Kijo wasn't sure where she was going, nor did she care. Elrond had told her that she was safe within the city. She hadn't left her room much though, between Arwen's constant teachings and her lack of knowledge of the realm. She was determined to find her way around by herself though, and so she set out on a mission to learn about the city.

Finding her way outside was the first objective. Having only been to the library and to the dining hall, she had positively no idea how to get outside the house. Tezo wasn't really helping her. He seemed to find amusement in her troubles, the traitor. With a huff, she turned down a different corridor, hoping this one would lead outside the walls of this house. It didn't, but a girl could hope. Tezo laughed at her.

Too busy scowling and scolding her wolf companion, she didn't realize she was about to walk into a wall until she was being pulled aside by a strong hand. She let out a squeak of surprise, which earned her savior a growl from the ever present wolf. Once Tezo realized who it was, however, he let his upper lip fall back into place to cover his pearly white teeth. It was only one of the twins.

Kijo glanced up at the elf that had pulled her away from the wall. She didn't recognize him, but then again, she didn't recognize anyone that wasn't Arwen or Elrond. He bore resemblance to both Elrond and his daughter, leading Kijo to the assumption that this was one of the twins Arwen had told her about. She wasn't sure which one he was. She hadn't actually met them yet.

"You must be more careful, my lady. We would not wish to see you hurt." His voice was the smooth velvet of all elves. A beautiful melody that only added to their charm. Kijo swallowed the lump in her throat. So much for being smooth and not acting like a total klutz around the elves.

"Uh, yeah, right." Kijo mumbled, pulling away from the elf "I probably should watch where I'm going." The elf chuckled.

"It would be most helpful, my lady." He said with a smile. Then he bowed in respect. "I am Elrohir, son of Lord Elrond." Ah so it was Elrohir she was talking her. Kijo tried to commit that to memory.

She gave a small bow back, trying not to fall on her face. She definitely wasn't graceful, because she did exactly what she was trying not to do. Fall on her face. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you looked at it, Elrohir caught her before she hit the ground. Kijo blushed furiously. Why did she have to be so clumsy, especially in front of an elf?

"I'm sorry, I'm not usually this clumsy. I promise." She apologized. Elrohir chuckled at her.

"It is quite alright milady. Not all possess the grace the elves, and even then, I have met a few ungraceful elves in my time." Elrohir stated, setting Kijo back on her feet. Kijo's eyes widened in shock.

"Really? I thought all elves were graceful." Kijo muttered. Elrohir shook his head.

"There are the rare few that do not seem to possess the grace we usually share. It is quite odd, but not completely uncommon." Elrohir studied her for a moment "Would you like a tour of the city, milady? Unless I am mistaken, you are finding it quite difficult to make you way around the house of my father, let alone around the city. I can show you what there is to see, if you would like." Kijo's eyes lit up. A tour of the city? She had planned to do the exploring alone, but the company of Arwen's brother, who was quite the jokester from what she had been told, didn't seem all that appalling. Maybe she could get some stories out of him of pranks he and his brother had pulled.

"I'd like that very much." Kijo said. Elrohir grinned and offered his arm. She took it and let him lead her out of the house and around the city, Tezo following on their heels. The tour was amazing, he showed her everything there was to know about Rivendell, explaining the origins of this and that, what each person did and what each place was for. He also told her, much to her enjoyment, or many pranks he and his brother Elladan had pulled on the people of Rivendell. No one had been happy with them, especially not their father but they didn't seem to care.

They even ran into Elladan during their tour. Of course, the younger of the two twins couldn't be left behind. When he learned that his brother was telling stories of their adventures, he had to tag along to add his own side. Kijo didn't mind, the excitement and the laughter was something she had needed after being cooped up in that room for three days. She needed to laugh and even Tezo joined in, though his laughter was only heard by Kijo. So when Arwen found them by one of the streams flowing through the city, Kijo and Tezo both knew their fun was over.

The dark haired elf was in no happy mood. She had a scowl on her face and was glaring at her brothers something awful. They shrunk away from her gaze, obviously realizing that something was wrong.

"_What do you two have to say for yourselves? This is no laughing matter. Father wishes me to teach her the ways and language of our people. How am I supposed to do that if I cannot find her?"_ Kijo had absolutely no idea what Arwen was saying, but she didn't sound pleased. Kijo knew it had something to do with her though.

"_I found her wandering the halls this morning sister. She almost ran into the wall. I could tell that she wished to explore the city. I only offered to show her around."_ Elrohir whined. Arwen huffed but stepped forward and grabbed Kijo's hand.

"Come, we must continue our sessions." Arwen grumbled. Tezo got up and bounded after them, looking as defeated as Kijo felt. Back to boring history lessons and frustrating Sindarin lessons. So much for having a little fun.

_Suva_

Blonde. Even after four days, Suva still hadn't gotten used to all the blonde. Almost every elf in Mirkwood was blonde, with the exception of a few that had a more reddish tint to their hair. It was still blonde, but less annoyingly so. Suva ground her teeth together as she tried to pick out Legolas among the heads of blonde hair. Why did it seem so difficult to keep track of the elven prince? It seemed like she was constantly loosing track of him.

Suva had learned a lot about Mirkwood and its people in the four days that she had been here. The first thing being that, Mirkwood was nothing but blonde. Never in her life had Suva seen so much blonde hair in one place. It was slowly driving her mad, and she was pretty sure it was driving Kixi mad as well.

The now much larger bobcat constantly seemed on edge. Suva knew it was just because she was in a new place. Kixi had never liked new places. Suva wasn't really sure why, and up until now, she hadn't been able to ask. Even now that she _could_ ask, they were too busy dealing with a constantly vanishing elvish prince and annoyingly blonde hair.

Suva and Kixi's bond had only gotten stronger with their world jump. Suva wasn't sure how it had happened, but somehow, Kixi and she had formed a mental bond that allowed them to speak to each other through only thoughts. It was helpful, especially when Kixi would catch wind of the elvish prince and have to get Suva's attention so that they could follow his trail to find him. It was also a sort of comfort to them both.

Suva had always went straight to her loving cat whenever she was upset. Kixi had always been there to snuggle and provide a listening ear, even though she couldn't talk back. Now, though, Kixi could actually give advice. It gave Suva at least a little comfort, and for that she was extremely grateful. She thought back to their conversation the previous morning…

The previous day

"_**I miss them."**_ They both knew who Suva was talking about.

"_**I know, I miss them too. I never knew just how much I cared for them until now, when there's a possibility that we won't ever see them again." **_Kixi answered, laying with her head on one of the pillows on the bed. Suva sighed.

"_**We won't see them again. We're stuck here Kix. We aren't going home. Even if we did, the only thing that awaits us there is death. At least here, we're alive. I don't know where Di and Ki are, but I would have thought that if they were in Middle Earth too, that we all would have been dropped in the same place, in a group. Since, you know, that's how we died and came here in the first place."**_ Suva let her head fall into her hands _**"What are we gonna do Kix? Can we live here, among the elves, for the rest of our lives?"**_

"_**If that's our only choice, then yes, we can. Together, we are strong, Suva. We can overcome this. It may take some time and some careful consideration, but we can do it."**_ Kixi answered. Suva looked up at the bobcat laying on the bed and smiled.

"_**Yeah, you're right. It's just so different and so hard. I've never been around so many people that I don't know and I've never been without Kijo and Divan for more than a day. We've never been separated like this."**_ Tears came to Suva's eyes as she spoke _**"I don't know what to do without them."**_

Kixi stood up on the bed and jumped down to the floor. She padded over to where Suva sat at the small desk that occupied the room. _**"We will learn to live without them. There are others here that can offer advice and company. It's only a matter of finding someone that we like. We will get through this." **_ Kixi murmured, rubbing her head against Suva's hand. Suva smiled and slid down onto the floor. She wrapped her arms around her cat, hugging her tightly.

"_**Thanks Kix. You're the best cat a girl could ask for."**_ Suva whispered, a smile on her face.

* * *

Suva and Kixi still hadn't found the prince. Suva was beginning to think that he was disappearing on purpose. She wasn't sure she would put it past him, he definitely hadn't seemed happy when she had shown up. He had taken her to the tailor the first day she had been in Mirkwood. The tailor had taken her measurements and had set to work immediately on the clothing that Suva would wear throughout her stay. They were all dresses because the women of Middle Earth wore nothing but dresses. Suva wasn't opposed to the idea of a dress, she actually quite liked them. She just hoped that when they left for Rivendell that they didn't have to fight. Suva knew very little about fighting, she'd never held a bow in her life and had only attempted to use a sword once. The only weapon that she had ever really used was a staff.

It had been Divan's idea. It'd been almost seven years ago, probably a little over seven years actually. It was during the summer before their senior year of high school. Suva and Kijo had went over to Divan's small country home and were just hanging around while her parents and siblings were out. Divan, bored as a chained up puppy with nothing to chew, had had the bright idea that she would teach them some of what she knew about weapons and fighting. Divan had been a martial arts student from the time she was seven up until about four years prior to that summer.

Neither Kijo nor Suva thought it was a smart idea. It had, after all, been four years since she had went to any classes and practiced. Divan had just scoffed at them and told them it was like riding a bike. You never truly forgot. You might be a little shaky at first, but you'd fall back into the swing of things pretty quickly. It must have been true, because after about ten minutes, Divan was instructing them like a teacher would have.

It didn't take long to figure out that Kijo would hurt herself with just about any weapon she was handed. The only thing the clumsy girl could handle that she didn't risk slicing her leg off with was a pair of daggers. They weren't all that long, which meant you either had to have significantly longer limbs than you opponent, or you had to get in close. Since Kijo was so tall, the former seemed to work well enough for her.

Suva had been given several weapons to try, but the only one that seemed to fit her was a staff that was a bit too short for her, seeing as it was made for Divan and she was the shortest of the three of them, much to her chagrin. Divan had shown her several ways to use the staff if she were ever in need of a weapon. She also said that just about any thick branch could work as a staff. Suva had never had to test that theory, and she hoped she never would. But the thought of possibly finding a staff brought Suva a little comfort. Maybe, once she found that evasive elvish princeling, she could ask if it would be possibly to have a simple staff made for her. At least then she could at least feel a little better about keeping herself safe. She couldn't rely on Kixi for everything after all.

Finally, Suva gave up her search for the prince. If he wanted to disappear, fine. She would find her own way around. Either that or she'd get eaten by spiders because she got lost. Suva hoped that didn't happen, but if it did, there wasn't much she could do about it. She felt useless, not being able to wield a weapon, but growing up on Earth meant she wasn't required to be able to fight. Learning how to fight was a choice on Earth. Here, it was a necessity.

Deciding to just let her feet go wherever they pleased, Suva walked along the streets of Mirkwood. She still received stares from the inhabitants of Mirkwood, but she learned to ignore them. Apparently, the elves here weren't used to seeing a human around. Or maybe it was Kixi they were staring at, Suva wasn't quite sure.

Suva's feet eventually led them away from civilization and to an incline overlooking a large and rather beautiful body of water. Suva smiled to herself in awe and sat down on the ground at the top of the hill. She should have been a bit more watchful, there could have been orcs or spiders around, but after four days of ceaseless stares and never-ending frustrations, Suva decided a little alone time would hurt. Kixi was with her, and while the cat wouldn't be of much help against a large group of orcs or spiders, at least she could act as a lookout.

Eventually, though, Suva found that Kixi had fallen asleep and that she wasn't far behind her beloved cat. Suva could feel her eye lids drooping and knew that if she didn't move soon, she would fall asleep and be prey to any number of creatures in these woods. She was just about to wake Kixi up when a smooth, deep voice startled her.

"You should not be out here alone. There are many dangers in these woods." The voice woke Kixi, who was on her feet and growling at the owner in a matter of seconds. Once she realized it was only Legolas she stopped growling, but the snarl on her face never left. Kixi was thinking the same thoughts Suva was.

"_**If you hadn't disappeared then maybe we wouldn't be out here alone."**_

"Perhaps if you had not disappeared, we would not be out here by ourselves." Suva replied, voicing the thoughts Kixi and she shared. Legolas' lips pursed together.

"I did not disappear. You are the one that could not keep up." Legolas stated, a cold tone to his voice. Suva rounded on the prince, her ice blue eyes narrowed. Kixi, sensing Suva's anger, crouched lower and hissed.

"Could not keep up? We could not keep up because you were trying to get us lost! In the four days that we've been here and you have been in charge of showing us around, you've disappeared almost twelve times! I may not be an elf, but that doesn't mean that I can't follow behind someone when they walk. For you to have disappeared so many times in such little time, was on purpose. I do not know what you have against me, but I wish that you'd put it aside for the week that I have to suffer here with you. As soon as I'm in Rivendell, I will be out of your hair and you will only have to deal with me again when I come back to inform your father of what he wanted to hear. After that, I'll go back to Rivendell and you won't ever have to deal with me again!" Suva exclaimed, her voice almost a shout. Having said what she wanted to, Suva turned on her heel and headed deeper into the forest, away from Mirkwood. Kixi followed right at her heels after growling one last time at Legolas.

She heard Legolas yelling her name but she didn't care. She was angry, she was lost, and she was lonely. She missed her home, she missed her friends, she missed everything she had grown up with and having an ill-tempered elven prince trying to get her lost and probably humiliate her was only making her bad week worse. She knew that going off further into the forest was a bad idea, but at that moment she didn't really care. She needed to be away from that annoying elf before she did or said something that would get her into more trouble than she needed.

If Legolas followed her, he stayed out of sight. Suva was both glad that he was leaving her alone and mad because he didn't even care enough to follow his father's orders. Suva didn't expect him to care about her, he didn't know her, but she did expect him to follow the orders his father had given him through and those orders had been to watch over her. That included making sure she didn't get herself killed wandering through the forest by herself.

Suva finally stopped and looked around. If she thought she was lost inside the city, then she was really lost outside of it. She looked down a Kixi, who looked even more on edge than normal.

"_**I don't like this. We should go back."**_ Kixi murmured, looking around. Suva scoffed.

"_**We should, yes. Tell that to my horrid navigation skills. I'm not getting us back anytime soon. Unless you can use all those cat senses of yours to get us back, we're screwed."**_ Suva muttered, only now realizing just how stupid she had been running off like that. Suva groaned. Of all the times to do something stupid.

Suddenly, Kixi growled. Suva froze, muttering curses in her head. She spun in the direction Kixi was facing. Suva couldn't hear anything and she didn't see anything either. _**"What is it Kix? Please tell me it's just Legolas or one of the other elves…"**_ Suva pleaded. Kixi's growling got louder as the creature approached.

"_**No such luck. It's a spider. A much larger one than the ones at home."**_ Kixi answered _**"The good news, though, is that there's only one. I think I can take it."**_ Suva swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. She didn't want her precious companion to get hurt just because she'd done something stupid. Kixi chuckled in Suva's head.

"_**I'll be okay. I used to take down the little ones all the time. This can't be much harder, right?"**_ the bobcat laughed a little fearfully _**"And besides, it's my job to protect you."**_

"_**I'm not supposed to get you killed though!"**_ Suva exclaimed in near hysterics. This wasn't good. If only she'd have kept her anger in check.

The spider appeared through the trees, all of its eyes glowing red. Kixi gave a small whimper but growled again in warning. The spider didn't heed it, much to their disappointment, and came straight for them. Kixi lunged and tackled the monster of a spider to the ground. She fought viciously and Suva could tell that she was winning. Maybe they wouldn't die today after all.

That thought was short lived.

Another hissing sound had Suva spinning around, coming face to face with another of the monstrous creatures. Suva whimpered much like Kixi had. The giant spider was watching her every move. She could see the hunger in its deep red eyes. Suva, risking her life by doing so, glanced around for anything she could use to fend off the spider. If only she had a torch.

There was a nice, thick looking branch not far from her but in order to reach it she had to move from her current spot. Kixi was still trying to clamp her jaws around the spiders head and couldn't help her and the elf that was _supposed_ to be watching over her was nowhere to be seen. Suva groaned. Time to put Divan's teachings to work.

She inched her way towards the branch, trying to move in a circle so that maybe the spider would start circling her like she had seen wolves do on Animal Planet. It didn't work. Instead of circling her, the spider just leaped straight for her. With a squeal, Suva leaped for the branch. She slid underneath the spider, making it land on its belly as she slid in the dirt and grabbed the branch. The spider was up before her, though and came at her again. It hover over top of her and Suva, in a fit of panic, did the only thing she could think to do. Thrust the branch through the stomach of the huge spider.

Black blood ran down the branch and onto Suva's arms and torso. Suva cringed, trying not to vomit. She watched as the life slowly left the ruby eyes of the spider and it collapsed. The only thing keeping it from falling on top of her being the branch through its stomach. With as much strength as she could muster, Suva shoved the spider off to the side, letting go of the branch so it could fall with it. She heard Kixi's distressed cries in her head, asking if she was alright. Suva managed a few weak words and Kixi was rushing towards her, hovering over her and pawing at her. They were both too busy to notice the Mirkwood prince burst through the trees, his eyes widening when he saw the two dead spiders. His eyes widened even further when he saw Suva lying on the ground covered in blood with a frantic Kixi standing over her.

He rushed to her side, kneeling beside her. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that the blood wasn't hers but the spider's blood. The sigh alerted Kixi and Suva to his presence and they both turned to look at him.

"You are alright." He murmured. That only made Suva mad again.

"Alright? Alright?! Do I freaking look alright to you?! Where were you five minutes ago when those dumb things were stalking us?! You're supposed to be keeping us out of trouble, not disappearing and letting us get into it! They say elves are supposed to be kind and helpful. I don't think I've met a helpful one yet, except maybe your father and that's only because he didn't kill me like I expected him to!" Suva shouted. She knew she was probably attracting more spiders, but four days of pent up anger had her bursting at the seams. If she didn't get it off her chest now, she'd blow up in front of more than just one elf.

To her surprise, Legolas actually looked regretful. His eyebrows drew down and he stared at the ground. She kind of felt bad for yelling at him, but he deserved every word. Legolas sighed.

"I am sorry, lady Suva. I did not mean to offend you or hurt you in any way. My father has never been fond of humans and I was surprised when he let you stay until I left for Rivendell. I was even more surprised when he put you in my care. I feared it was a test to see how I would act around a human. I knew if he was told that I was being overly nice to you, that things would not end well for either of us so I tried to appear cold and distant. It seems that perhaps I have taken it too far." His smooth voice was full of sorrow, making it hard for Suva to stay mad at him. Were all elves this amazing, even if they looked so sad?

Suva glanced at Kixi, silently asking the cat if she thought he was telling the truth. When Kixi replied that she thought he was, Suva sighed. She couldn't exactly stay mad at him forever and completely ignoring him wasn't really an option. He was supposed to be her guide, which involved speaking to each other at some point.

"Apology accepted. But don't think this gets you off the hook." Suva warned when Legolas looked up, a tint of happiness in his eyes "You are still in trouble. I know he is your father, but you don't have to act just like him. You have to be your own person." Legolas sighed and nodded.

"I know. I just do not like to disappoint him. He is, after all, still my father. Even though he is my king." Legolas said quietly. Suva nodded slowly.

"It probably is tough. I wouldn't know, I'm not the daughter of a king, but sometimes you have to just take that disappointment because not everything the people you care about do is right." Suva murmured. Legolas took a deep breath and nodded.

"You are right." He muttered and looked around. His eyebrows drew down and he stood up, offering her a hand. "Now come. We must not tarry here any longer. There are things far more dangerous than spiders in these woods." Legolas helped Suva to her feet and then started towards Mirkwood at a decent pace. Suva and Kixi followed behind him.

Silence washed over them for a better part of the journey back. Suva couldn't stop thinking about how close that spider was to eating her. If she hadn't of grabbed that branch, she probably would have been wrapped in a cocoon and strung from a tree by now. Suva shuddered at the thought and decided then and there that she needed to ask about maybe getting a staff made.

"Legolas?" Suva asked tentatively. She didn't refer to the prince by his title, something she wasn't sure whether he was happy about or not. He hadn't corrected her, which she took as a sign that she didn't need to call him prince or my lord, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.

Legolas looked over his shoulder at her. "Yes, lady Suva?" Suva's eyebrows drew down.

"You don't have to call me lady, Legolas. Especially not if you're letting me talk to you without your title." Suva said. Legolas blinked in surprise at the statement, but then smiled gently.

"Yes…Suva?" he asked again, omitting the title of lady. Suva smiled at him before asking her question.

"Would it be hard to have a simple staff made?" she asked. Legolas raised an eyebrow but shook his head.

"T'would not be hard at all." He replied "Why do you ask?" Suva fidgeted with her fingers.

"I just… I would feel slightly more comfortable with some form of weapon. A staff is the only thing I can use efficiently. I was just wondering if a simple one could be made that I could use." she mumbled. Of course, with the elven hearing, Legolas heard her quiet reply. He pursed his lips as they appeared at the top of a hill that overlooked Mirkwood.

"It would be no trouble." He stopped, causing Suva and Kixi to almost bump into him. He turned to face her, a small smile on his face. "We can go now, if you wish. There is a craftsman not far from here." Suva smiled again. This was the most she'd smiled since she'd arrived in Middle Earth. Legolas was actually pretty sweet when he wasn't trying to please his father.

"That would be nice. And greatly appreciated." Suva spoke quietly. With another smile, Legolas offered his arm to her. Suva shyly took it and Legolas led her and Kixi through the city. They received even more stares than before, but for once, Suva didn't really care. Maybe they could be friends after all.

_Divan_

I was pretty sure I was drunk.

Okay, scratch that. I wasn't pretty sure, I was absolutely positive. I'd always been able to tolerate a pretty good amount of liquor. Mostly because I'd done some underage drinking with my parents on New Year's Eve. Actually it was more like a lot of underage drinking and several New Year's Eves, but that wasn't the point. The point was, I'd only been here four days and they were already getting me drunk. I knew dwarves liked their ale and they loved to throw parties but this was just plain ridiculous.

I'd tried to deny the ale at first, really I did. Getting drunk around dwarves was not something I really wanted to do. I'd never been so wasted that I didn't remember a single thing about the night before, so I didn't know how I was gonna act if the dwarves of Erebor got me that drunk and I knew they'd try. The last thing I needed was to start acting like a stripper in a hall full of dwarves. That wouldn't go over well. So I tried to stay away from any alcohol, but then Gimli had to appear.

Gimli had been the one to drag me to this party in the first place. I'd been contentedly sitting in my room in the dwarven halls, Rata on my shoulder as always, when Gimli had busted through the door. He hadn't even explained what was happening until we were halfway to mess hall. Even then, I'd only understood something about dwarven parties and that I had to attend at least one. So I'd been dragged unwillingly to the mess hall, Rata flying and grumbling behind us.

He'd deserted me almost immediately, but not before he'd shoved me towards his father. Gloín had been the first to offer me a mug of ale, which I had respectfully turned down. He didn't push any further and I was grateful. Rata, who was once again perched on my shoulder, ruffled her feathers and started grumbling about our predicament. I agreed with her, but only silently to myself in my head.

I'd stood awkwardly in a corner for a good while before anyone actually seemed to notice me. Parties had never been my thing, at least not this kind of party. Give me a bonfire, a couple guitars, some cases of good beer and all my friends and I'd be just dandy. Put me in a room with a bunch of people I don't know that were all dancing and drinking and I was hiding in a corner. But at least the dwarves weren't trying to have sex right in front of you. The one party that I'd been dragged to on Earth that didn't include a bonfire or guitars was the last party I'd ever gone to. People I didn't know, music that was crappy and far too loud, cheap beer that tasted like dog crap and people trying to have sex while they danced was just not my thing. Sorry for all you people that found _that_ entertaining.

When one of the dwarves actually noticed me standing in the corner, I was hauled into their little circle. Gimli, who seemed to appear moments later, shoved a mug of ale into my hands. I'd tried to tell the stubborn dwarf that I didn't drink (which was a complete and total lie) but he was adamant. It only got worse when he started taunting me, telling me I was afraid to drink a little ale. That got my attention but I didn't actually start drinking until Gimli said that he bet he could drink more than I could. The challenge had been enough to get me to throw my head back and guzzle down the mug of ale. Rata sighed, obviously realizing that this was the start of a very long night.

Gimli and the other dwarves around me had laughed heartily. As soon as my first mug was gone, it was taken and immediately replaced with another. It was a bad idea, I knew that, but turning down a challenge just wasn't who I was. I only hoped that the Irish blood in me kept me from getting _too_ drunk. The Irish were, after all, hearty drinkers that could handle incredible amounts of liquor. Much like the dwarves I was currently drinking with.

Gimli and I chugged mug after mug of ale for a good long while. I lost track of how many mugs I'd drank after about the fifteenth mug. Honestly, I was surprised I was still on my feet. I had a pretty good tolerance for the alcohol of Earth, there was no telling how much stronger dwarven ale was than the liquor at home. I could hear Rata berating me on my shoulder but didn't pay attention to her. If only I had.

At some point during our drinking game, a huge crowd had gathered. Apparently, games like these were _exactly_ what dwarves loved. Lucky me, I suppose. It was all Gimli's fault though. I blamed him.

It turns out, my Irish luck paid off. Gimli passed out. Like, eyes rolling back in his head and falling like a rock to the floor, passing out. I swallowed the last bit of ale in my mug and slammed it down. Every dwarf around me cheered. With blurry eyes I looked over at Gimli. I wanted to giggle at him. Actually, I think I did giggle at him. I was totally drunk. I _never_ giggled. The rational part of my brain was groaning in annoyance and mumbling curses at Gimli for rambling off that stupid challenge. If only I had walked away and went back to my room.

Somehow, I made it over to one of the walls and slid down. Things were very blurry and there was two of everything. My stomach hurt and I felt like I was going to puke. My head already hurt and the thought of tomorrow morning made me groan. I was going to have a very nasty hangover. I was never drinking with dwarves again. I wasn't drinking ever again period. Rata laughed her birdy laugh in my ear and I twisted my head to glare at her, almost falling over in the process causing her to squawk and flail around. While the squawking hurt my already sore head, I considered it payback for laughing at me.

"It ain't funny." My words were all slurred together and I don't think she actually understood what I was saying. Heck, I didn't understand what I was saying, and I said it! I groaned again. Never. Again. I hated very few things, just the colors pink and yellow and screamo music, but alcohol was definitely getting added to that list after tonight. Rata laughed at me again. Was I saying this out loud?

"Yes, you are saying everything out loud." Rata replied. If she would have been human, she totally would have been smirking. I mumbled curses under my breath, not caring if anyone heard the very unladylike words leaving my mouth. I wasn't very ladylike. Not when I was sober and certainly not when I was drunk. I let my head thump against the wall behind me. Let the night begin.

A few hours later

I'd people, or dwarf, watched for almost four hours now. I wasn't in any shape to go back to my room and I wasn't touching any more ale so that left me with nothing better to do than sit in the corner and watch the dwarves as they went about their party. They were both disgusting and hilarious. I found myself giggling quite often, even though I tried not to. The ale made me loopy, but at least it was starting to wear off some. I was still drunk, but I was pretty sure I could actually walk in a semi straight line now.

Rata advised me against it, but I was tired of sitting in a corner. So, I hauled myself to my feet. My head spun and I had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over but once the spinning subsided, I was able to see pretty straight. I took a few steps forward and when I didn't stumble I risked walking a few more. Rata was chittering nervously on my shoulder and I shushed her.

"We'll be okay. Ale's wore off enough that I can walk straight now. Just… s'long as there's no more ale." I muttered to her. She clucked at me and I pursed my lips. Time to go find someone to talk to. I wandered through the crowd of dwarves, trying not to bump into any of them.

I finally found Gloín and Gimli. Gimli, who must have woken up at some point, was sitting beside his father, a mug in his hand. I stared incredulously at the dwarf. He was still drinking?! I rolled my eyes as I approached them.

Gimli noticed me first and smiled hugely at me. He let out a booming laugh that drew the attention of Gloín and a few other dwarves that were close by. "Lassie! I was beginning to think ye left!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes as I plopped down beside him, stretching my legs out.

"I considered it, but I did not wish to leave you unattended. You, after all, cannot seem to hold your ale." I retorted. Gimli's eyes narrowed.

"I can hold me ale just fine, lassie. 'Tis you who need not be left alone!" he growled. I chuckled at him.

"Yet it was I that won our game. Perhaps your ale tolerance is not so high as you thought." I laughed. Gimli growled again and opened his mouth to retort when Gloín stepped in.

"Leaver the lass alone, Gimli. She has won this fair and square." He rebuked his son. Gimli glowered at me while I smirked.

Gloín, Gimli, Rata and I sat there chatting for a little while. Gloín decided that I needed to hear stories of Gimli's past drinking bets and he had me laughing within minutes. Gimli, however, was spluttering and trying to deny everything his father was saying. His dwarven pride was definitely delicate and me and Rata both laughing at his previous predicaments only served to make him as red in the face as his beard. My face was probably red too, but mine was from laughter, not embarrassment.

Eventually, Gimli got up and stormed off claiming he needed more ale if he was "going to survive the night with the likes of you two". I waved him off with a smile, still laughing. Gloín had a smirk on his face as well, telling me he enjoyed teasing his son. I settled back onto my elbows, a smile still on my face. Despite being the only person above five feet, and that was only by about four inches (I was only about five feet four and a half inches. I was short.), and the only human in Erebor, I found myself quite a home with the dwarves.

They were a kind hearted race by nature, but weren't afraid of a battle. Actually, they quite enjoyed them. They were rough and tough on the outside, but were really just big teddy bears by heart. They weren't afraid of a challenge and they handled sarcasm well. They weren't as fond of trees, nature and animals as I was but that didn't really deter me from finding a home among them. They had accepted Rata, even quite liked the talkative bird, and that was all that really mattered to me. She was the only thing that I had that really meant something to me here and surviving my time with the dwarves if they were constantly trying to hurt her would have caused more than a few altercations. Luckily though, they seemed to like her as much as I did.

I looked around. I wasn't really looking for anyone or anything, I was just taking everything in, but then my gaze landed on a pair of dwarves outside the mess hall that had axes in their hands. They were fighting. Well not fighting as in trying to hurt each other. They looked like they were sparing. My eyebrows drew down and my head cocked slightly as I watched them.

Other than seeing Gimli hacking at orcs briefly in parts of the movies, I'd never seen dwarven combat. I knew their preferred weapons were axes, but I'd never seen them use any. I watched intently as the two dwarves sparred. They seemed pretty evenly matched. One was a bit broader than the other, which I found hard to believe, but other than that they were the same except for hair color. One had a dark brown beard, the other a lighter honey colored one.

The dark brown haired dwarf won the match and the dwarf with the light hair was replaced by one with red hair like Gimli's. Unlike the dwarf before him, this one held a sword instead of an axe. This dwarf was slightly taller than the dark haired dwarf, but was also slightly thinner. They battled it out but in the end the dark haired dwarf won again. A third dwarf entered the ring carrying a hammer with him, ready to take on the defending champ.

I found myself wanting to join the group of sparring dwarves. I hadn't had a good sparring partner for a couple years. The last person that had been able to provide me with a decent duel had been a guy from my apartment building, Shawn, who had seen me at the gym one day taking out some frustrations on a punching bag. He'd offered to spar with me and I'd reluctantly agreed, not sure what he'd been playing at. He'd just wanted someone to spar with and in the end it started to become a weekly thing. At least, until he'd left for a tour overseas. He was in the military.

I hadn't done much sparring with weapons after I'd left my martial arts classes, but I was pretty sure I still remembered enough to get myself around a sparring ring with a sword in my hand. Before I fully knew what I was doing, I'd gotten Gloín and Gimli's, who had returned sometime while I was watching the sparring matches, attention.

"Yes, lassie?" Gloín asked. They all called me lassie and I wasn't really sure why. I didn't really care though.

"Do they spar like that often?" I asked them, gesturing towards the dwarves just outside the mess hall that were sparring. Gloín nodded.

"There are almost always duels going on. It is a favorite past time of us dwarves." Gimli announced proudly "I have won a few matches myself." I laughed lightly at him.

"I am sure you have, Gimli." I said with a smile. My eyes once again returned to the dwarves. I was still kinda drunk, but the thought didn't deter me from asking my question. "Would… would it be possible for me to join them? I have not had a good sparring partner in what seems like ages."

Both dwarves shot me surprised looks. Most women of Middle Earth didn't fight. There were some, of course, like the shield maidens of Rohan and there were female elven archers among the men but most didn't fight. It was men's work, as many males would say, the sights of a battlefield were not fit for women. Maybe they were right, maybe they weren't but they wouldn't influence my decision. I'd had always been a fight, whether it was with a weapon or with words.

"Ye wish to spar with them lassie?" Gloín asked me. I nodded.

"Are ye sure that is a good idea, Divan?" Gimli asked nervously, using my name "Have ye ever held a weapon before?" A slow smile spread across my face and I chuckled.

"Yes, I have held a weapon before. I have trained with one. I always wished to fight, so my parents agreed to have me trained with weapons. Although, I have never used an axe. I am much more partial to swords or daggers." I replied. They shared a look and I could tell they were debating whether or not to let me join the other dwarves.

"Are you sure it is a good idea to go fight if you are still drunk?" Rata asked me quietly. I turned my head slightly and met her gaze.

"I am okay, really. At least, okay enough to spar. And if I am not and this turns out badly, you can yell at me later." I told her. Rata huffed.

"I am more worried that there will not _be_ a later. These weapons are real and sharp, not the wooden or foam ones you used at home." Rata warned. I sighed.

"I understand that Rata, but you needn't worry. I will be alright." I gave her a small smile. She huffed again, but was quiet.

"Are ye sure ye wish to do this?" Gloín asked. I nodded again. I wanted to. I felt like a needed to. Sparring had always been a good way to get rid of pent up energy and I was feeling a good bit of that. I hadn't seen open sky for almost five days and I hadn't been able to run or go to the gym. I needed to do this. Mostly for my own sanity.

With a sigh, Gloín said something to one of the dwarves sitting on his other side that had been listening to our conversation. Said dwarf was staring at me like I had grown a second head. I rolled my eyes. Men. It seemed even in Middle Earth they didn't think us women could do anything other than have kids, cook and clean. What a shame.

The dwarf disappeared only to return some minutes later holding a sheathed longsword in his hands. Gloín thanked the dwarf, taking the sword from him, and then turned to me. He came to stand in front of me and held the sword out.

"It is a fair sword and should fair ye well." Gloín stated. I nodded mutely and gently took the sheathed sword from him. I took a step back to give myself a little room and then, in one swift motion, pulled the sword from its sheath.

It was a simple longsword with a simple black hilt but I still thought it was a beautiful weapon. It fit well in my hand even though it was much heavier than the foam and wooden ones I had used at home. I examined the blade for a moment, admiring the work. It wasn't an elven blade, which were said to be the most light weight and beautiful weapons in Middle Earth, but the dwarves probably held the next spot in line when it came to craftsmanship. It truly was a beautiful weapon.

"It fits ye well." Gloín said, a bit of surprise in his voice "Ye would look like a fine warrior if ye bore armor."

Checking to make sure I wouldn't hit anyone, I swung and twirled the sword around me a few times. I nodded, more to myself than anyone else and swung the strap that was attached to the sheath diagonally across my chest. Rata grumbled a bit and moved to allow it to set better. I looked up to Gloín and Gimli.

"Thank you, for letting me have this chance. I have not seen battle like many here most likely have, but I believe I am trained enough to hold my own. I suppose we shall see." I spoke quietly, still looking down at the longsword in my hands. Gimli came up to me and set his hand on my arm. I looked up at him.

"Just be careful lassie. We do not wish to see ye hurt. Ye and that bird of yers have grown on us." I could see some concern in his eyes and hoped that I wouldn't disappoint them and get myself seriously hurt or killed. I like to think I was a good fight, but that didn't mean I was one.

I nodded at him and then turned towards the door of the mess hall. I held my head high and started towards the ring of dwarves. Gimli, Gloín and many other dwarves were following behind me. It made me slightly nervous but I set my shoulders. I wouldn't let stage fright get the better of me and get me hurt. Rata mumbled in my ear about how this was a bad idea and I was starting to think she was right. I guess it wouldn't be the first stupid thing I'd done tonight. Though, it very well could be the last. I would get intentionally killed, but if I didn't pay attention, it wouldn't matter if it was intentional or not.

When the sparring dwarves noticed the large group of us coming towards them, they paused and let their weapons lower. I could see several shocked looks and raised eyebrows but I brushed them off. Let's get this over with.

"I wish to join you." I stated simply. That got me open mouthed stares and scoffs. The dark haired dwarf, the same one that had been sparring for the last ten minutes, chuckled at my statement.

"Ye wish to fight? Ye are just a woman and women do not fight." He said. My eyes narrowed.

"I do. I am well trained with a blade and I wish to test my skills." I told him plainly "I wish to join you."

Almost immediately, dwarves from all around started commenting and telling me to just leave it alone. I could pick out a few saying that I wouldn't stand a chance against Ordel. I was guessing that he was the dark haired dwarf that had remained in the ring. I glanced around at the arguing dwarves but said nothing. I wanted to spar. They weren't going to deter me.

"Enough!" Gloín's booming voice echoed through the caves. Everyone got quiet and listened to what he had to say. "Why should we deny her the chance to spar with Ordel? If she wishes to fight, we will let her!" he exclaimed. I gave him a grateful smile and turned back to the ring where Ordel was standing.

"Will you fight me, Ordel?" I asked. The dwarf's eyes narrowed and he examined me for a moment, his eyes stopping on the sword I held in my right hand.

"Aye, I shall fight ye. But be warned, I shall not go easy on ye." He answered. I smirked.

"I would not expect you to." I returned. Turning to Gimli, I asked him if he would hold Rata for me. Neither seemed too happy at the idea, but both relented. With Rata now perched on Gimli's shoulder, I made my way to where Ordel was standing. I was really glad I had been able to get Zolana to make me tunics and leggings instead of dresses. Trying to spar in a dress would have been torture.

The dwarf he had been sparring with had disappeared. He had probably went to put away his weapon and join the crowd of onlookers. My lips pursed as I took up my place across from the axe wielding dwarf. I really need to think things through more before doing them.

We both took up our stances. I gripped the longsword so tightly that my knuckles started to turn white. I eased my grip knowing that hold too tightly could be just as fatal as holding too loosely. I could see Ordel smirk and he flexed his fingers as he held his axe. He was determined to make an idiot out of me. Oh joy. Someone shouted begin and Ordel surged forward.

He didn't even give me a chance to attack. He went straight into throwing blow after blow towards me. I was forced into a defensive stance. He almost nicked me twice and I forced myself to focus. If this was how he wanted to play, fine. Let's play.

He rained down blow after blow trying to force me back into a corner. I kept myself moving in a circle, trying to step forward and not back. The first lesson I had learned when I was still attending martial arts was that getting backed into a corner was a sure way of getting yourself killed. If you got surrounded, you had nowhere to go. So the first thing to do was make sure you had room.

The second was to find an opening. Observation was the key. You had to watch and assess their movements. Everyone had a weak spot in their form, even professionals, you just had to look hard enough. Some people would hold their weapon a little too high, others too low. Some shuffled their feet or crossed them. It was just a matter of finding it.

"Ye can't run forever, girl." Ordel taunted. I resisted the urge to scoff. He was having way too much fun with this.

I found his weak spot to be his hip. Instead of keeping his axe at a more diagonal angle, he held it more horizontal, exposing his left hip. I smirked to myself. Now just to find the right moment.

The right moment was when he took a rather high swing towards my head. I ducked under his axe and swung my sword towards his hip forcing him to jump back to avoid being hit. Then, it was my turn to rain down blow after blow. I didn't pause, I didn't give him any time to swing. He was forced into only blocking my hits.

I tried getting him into a corner but he knew what I was doing. He kept himself moving like I had, going more in a circle than going backwards. I watched him carefully, knowing that if I got cocky now, I'd be down within minutes. Cockiness got you killed too. Never think you're too good for anyone because there will always be someone that is just a little bit better.

Sure enough, he managed to some strikes. Instead of it going back to him trying to back me into a corner, it turned into a more even mach. We traded between defense and offense as we both tried to get the upper hand.

He managed to nick my arm and I heard a few gasps. It wasn't bad, just a small cut. It wasn't even that deep. It started oozing blood, though, and I could hear some concerned whispers. I blocked them out but they got even louder when his axe cut my cheek.

I'd jerked back from the high swing but he still managed to catch my cheek with the point of the blade. I could feel the line of blood run down my cheek. My jaw clenched. I needed to focus before I did get myself killed.

I watched his movements carefully, judging what he was going to do before he did it. I needed to get him down. There were a few times that I could have risked it and went for it, but I wanted to be absolutely sure of what I was going to do. I got my chance when Ordel decided to spin around and give his axe more power.

If I messed up, I'd lose my head but it was the best chance I had of knocking him to the ground. If his back was turned towards me, I could get him behind the legs and knock him down. So, when he swung, I let myself dip backwards so that my back was parallel to the ground and when the axe passed my head, I was up and sweeping my leg against his. His axe clatter to the floor and went spinning as he tumbled to the ground. I was standing over him a moment later, the tip of my blade at his throat. I sucked in a deep breath and met his eyes. The duel was over.

The whole hall was silent for a moment before cheers erupted. I let out a sigh of relief and slowly lowered my sword. Ordel was staring at me with wide eyes. There was surprise in them and even a little anger. He went to get up but stopped when I offered him my hand. The anger that I had seen moments before dissipated and was replaced by a hint of respect. I let my lips turn up in a smile and Ordel's lips twitch upwards as well. He gave a small nod and grabbed my forearm. I pulled him to his feet and then went to retrieve his axe. I returned to stand in from of him and handed the silver and blue axe to him. He took it, staring at it a moment before looking up at me.

"I was wrong, it seems. Ye have a fighting spirit in ye. Ye fought well." Ordel said.

"Thank you. You fought well also. Long has it been since I have had such a fair sparring partner." I replied. Ordel smirked.

"Perhaps we shall have another go some other time. For now, though, I would go to yer companions." He said. I nodded, bowing at him respectfully before sheathing the sword and moving towards the crowd to find Gimli, his father and my bird. I got many congratulations and good jobs as I tried to find them and all I could do was bow my head and thank them.

When I finally found Gimli, Gloín and Rata they all stared at me. Then, to my surprise, Gimli surged forward and wrapped his arms around my middle in a hug.

"Well done lassie, well done!" he cried. I chuckled and hugged him back.

"Thank you my friend. It felt good to spar again. I have not for a long while." I said. Rata grabbed ahold of my tunic sleeve and began pulling herself up to my shoulder. I held my arm out straight so that she could just walk up my arm instead of climb. Even she told me that I did well but didn't forget to add that she was also glad I was still alive. I scowled playfully at her and she laughed.

Gimli grabbed my hand and headed back towards the mess hall, saying that drinks were in order for my victory. I tried to pull out of his grasp and run but even for a smaller-than-me dwarf he was still stronger. I was pushed onto a stool, handed a mug of ale and told to drink. When I didn't, Gimli all but shoved the mug down my throat. So, to appease the dwarf, I drank the mug. But one mug turned into two and two into three. Soon, I was wobbling all over again. I was only freed of the cursed liquid when Gloín appeared and pulled me along with him saying that I needed to have my arm and cheek looked at. I was quite willing to follow him towards the healer.

After my arm and cheek had been bandaged I was told that I wasn't to drink any more ale and that I needed to go to bed. I nodded as eagerly as my mush filled head would allow. Gloín led me to my room and as soon as the door was closed I was out of my tunic and leggings and into my sleepwear. Rata perched on the headboard above me, her eyes drooping. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.

The next morning

"Good morning, sunshine!" Rata exclaimed loudly.

"Rata… Shut up." Her cackling birdy laughter echoed through the room.


	4. Chapter 3

Haha! I finished chapter 3! I don't even know how long this took me. Talk about writers block. I was stuck on the same section for too long. I don't even know what happened. But anyway, I finished it and I feel very happy right now.

I have no idea how often I'll be updating. Probably not as often now. I'm back in school and I'm swamped with homework too many days a week to be able to write on this or any of my other stories like I would like to. I know all of you that are reading this would like quick updates, and I would love to give them to you, but I don't see that as a very plausible option right now. I will try, really I will, but I can make no promises.

We get a little fun in this chapter, and hopefully some really good laughs. Maybe my sense of humor is different, it probably is. Hopefully you guys find this as funny as I did. Guess I'll just have to wait and see if I get some comments on it. Leave me your thoughts: Loved it, hated it, couldn't care less (Why are you here, then?). I wanna know what you think!

On with chapter 3!

"_Elvish" _

_'__Thoughts' _

_**'**__**Mental conversation'**_

* * *

_Suva_

She was fidgeting. Suva didn't _fidget_. She found it quite irritating when someone fidgeted, so it was never a habit that she had bothered to pick up. This time, however, she just couldn't seem to help it. She, Legolas, Kixi and several other Mirkwood officials were leaving for Rivendell today. She wasn't sure what was making her more nervous; traveling with a bunch of scowling Mirkwood elves for almost two weeks, the journey itself, or the fact that she'd have to ride a horse.

Horses were beautiful creatures and Suva loved to look at them, but that was as far as her interest went. Unlike Kijo and Divan, Suva wasn't a big fan of horse riding. Kijo wasn't as bad as Divan, either, but she certainly enjoyed it more than Suva. Divan, being the one that had grown up on a farm, knew tons about horseback riding. Kijo wasn't the full blown country girl Divan was, but she wasn't afraid to get down and dirty. She'd ride horses, go hunting and play in the mud but she still liked to go out and get dressed up. Divan? Not so much when it came to dressing up.

Suva fingered her staff nervously, eying the large white-gray stallion that stood in front of her. She'd told Legolas that she couldn't ride and he'd decided that she would ride with him when the time came for them to set out. It made Suva feel a bit better knowing that she would be riding with Legolas and not one of the scowling officials but it didn't completely ease her fear. Suva much preferred to keep her feet on the ground, not five feet above it.

Her fingers continued to drum against the staff. Legolas had taken her to one of the woodworkers in Mirkwood and had had the staff carved. It was a simple, straight staff. It wasn't much but it made her feel slightly better knowing that she had some form of weapon. It had kept her calm the very few times Legolas and she had been apart after the incident three days ago.

Legolas had hardly left her side when she ventured outside the room she had been given in the palace. Much to Suva's surprise, they'd actually become quite good friends. He'd finally quit disappearing and actually started to show her and Kixi the city. He told stories, explained paintings that hung around the palace, and even asked questions about Kixi and she. Of course, there wasn't much she could tell him much about Earth or anything of the sort. So, she talked mostly about her friends, mainly Kijo and Divan. She told him about them and Tezo and Rata. Legolas found the fact that Rata could talk very intriguing. He said that very few birds in Middle Earth could speak like they could and those that could were usually very old.

Suva was pulled from her thoughts when Legolas laid a hand on her shoulder. "We are ready to depart, lady Suva." He announced. Suva had to resist scowling. She really disliked lady being put before her name. She was Suva. She wasn't a lady. Well, she was but not the lady that they meant. She wasn't some noble woman. Legolas normally didn't address her with the title of lady when they were together, but normally they were just wandering Mirkwood or the halls of the palace and weren't surrounded by officials of his father. Though Legolas wasn't trying as hard to please his father as he had been, he was still trying.

Suva nodded to Legolas and then watched as he easily vaulted up onto the back of the white-gray stallion. Once he was seated, he turned his upper body towards here and offered a smooth, pale hand. She gulped, taking it and letting the elven prince pull her up onto the horse almost effortlessly. She half expected the horse to bolt out from underneath them at the sudden increase in weight, but he stayed perfectly still. Suva slid one arm around Legolas, the hand of her other clutching tightly to her staff as it hung down beside them. She could hear Legolas chuckle and she glared, even though he couldn't see it.

"It is just a horse, milady. There is no need to be frightened." He whispered. Suva ground her teeth.

"It is a twelve hundred pound animal with a mind of its own, capable of killing either of us easily if it so chooses. Oh no, there is _no _reason whatsoever to be _frightened_." she bit back sarcastically. As if the horse understood every word she had said, which he very well could have, he stomped a foot and snorted. His large white head turned and his brown eyes caught her. Was it her imagination, or was he glaring at her? Suva tried not to whimper. She had killed a giant spider and she owned a bobcat as a pet, yet she was scared of a horse? If Kijo and Divan were there, they would have never let her live it down.

'_**You will be alright, Suva.'**_ Kixi's calming voice sounded in her head. Suva tried to nod at her faithful friend but it turned out as more of a wince. Kixi didn't look like she trusted the horse any more than Suva did. At least she didn't have to _ride_ it.

Suva almost fell off when the horse began moving. She held tighter to Legolas with her left arm, causing the elf to chuckle again. Suva sent another glare his way. He found this far too amusing. Here she was, absolutely terrified, and he was laughing at her! The nerve. She wanted to smack him with her staff but figured that wasn't very appropriate. Especially not with the officials of his father all around them. She let out mix between a sigh and a whimper. How did Kijo and Divan find this _fun_?

'_**Because they are completely and utterly mad?'**_ Kixi asked. Suva barely refrained from snorting. That was probably an understatement.

Suva glanced down at her furry companion. Kixi easily kept pace with the horses, her ears twitching as she listened to the sounds of the forest. It was obvious, at least to Suva, that she was scanning for potential threats. Kixi was good like that, keeping Suva from getting into more trouble than she needed. Suva didn't know how she had ended up getting such an amazing animal as a companion.

Sighing, Suva faced forwards again, staring at the back of Legolas' head as they continued their journey. Legolas had told her it would take almost two weeks to reach Rivendell from Mirkwood. Those two weeks would likely be the longest of her life. It was October the eighth and if Suva had her calculations right, they would arrive somewhere around the twenty-first. That seemed a very long ways away, much to Suva's dismay.

_-Pagebreak-_

They traveled all day. Suva's thighs and rump were starting to seriously hurt because of the abuse they'd received. When they finally stopped at a sheltered clearing and Legolas had slid off the horse, he turned to help Suva down. The minute her legs hit solid earth again, she very nearly collapsed to the ground so that she could kiss the brown dirt beneath her feet. Oh how good it was to be on solid ground!

Legolas was laughing at her again, though he was trying to hide it by coughing. Suva glared, resisted the urge to hit him with her staff, and hobbled over to where Kixi had laid down. She knew she would probably have to do something to help set up camp, but for a few moments at least she wanted to be with Kixi. She wanted to forget the fact that she was in Middle Earth, being ferried to Rivendell by the Mirkwood prince on a horse and that her beloved cat was now a much larger bobcat. Oh how she wished she was back in her apartment sitting at her desk with her sketch pad, Kixi laying underneath the lamp she had sitting on the rather large desk. Oh how she wanted normal. _This_ was not normal.

It was a little while later that she found herself seated between Legolas and an official named Ahdran. She was munching on some of the bread she'd been given, not overly hungry. Kixi was chewing on a piece of meat that had been thrown to her by a disgruntled elf. Kixi hadn't been happy but had contented herself with rambling on about how most of the elves they had met were very ill tempered. Suva couldn't agree with that statement more.

She eventually retired to her sleeping area, which was really nothing more than a big piece of cloth thrown on the ground. Suva wasn't sure she was going to enjoy her first camping experience. Eying the spot a little disdainfully, she eventually laid down. Kixi curled up next her as she often had when they were at home. Granted the cat was much larger and didn't fit snuggly against like she had before. Oh well.

It took her a little while to actually fall asleep. The sounds of the forest, an almost constant eerie hum, wasn't anything she was used to. She wasn't used to hearing a fire crackle and pop or the quiet sound of the elves talking. It was different, but she eventually managed to make her tired mind rest.

She was prodded awake by a very unamused elf the next morning. He barked at her to get up and get ready, they didn't have time to waste. Kixi growled at the elf but didn't offer to do anything more. It almost made Suva sad. She kind of wished that the bobcat would take a chunk out of one of the cranky, too perfect looking Mirkwood officials. Then again, that would get them both killed and she didn't particularly feel like dying.

When Suva got to her feet, she almost hit the ground again. Her legs hurt. Badly. The day of riding ahead would only prove to make that worse. Suva groaned but gathered up the blanket she was sleeping on and rolled it up. She gave it to Legolas, who secured it on the saddle before vaulting up onto the horse's back just like he had yesterday. Also just like yesterday, he turned to help her up into the saddle. Then they were moving, starting yet another day of painful travel.

The routine was repeated again that day, and the next, and the next for an entire week. The days were long, painful and usually quite boring. Suva almost wished they would find a few orcs or spiders, anything that would make the day less mind-numbingly boring. She had considered striking up a conversation with Legolas or even one of the other moody elves but didn't think it was worth the glares she would likely get. So, she settled with telling stories with Kixi. It helped to pass the time but the never ending boredom still remained. If only Divan and Kijo were there. Nothing could ever be boring with them around.

_Divan_

"You have looked through that bag four times now, Divan. What exactly do you think is missing?"

I glanced up at Rata. If she would have been human, she'd have been standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow raised. Even still, she had a look in her eye that just said she thought I was being an idiot. I sighed, letting my hand drop to my side from where I had been chewing on my thumb.

"I just want to make sure I have everything." I muttered "You don't go on a two week journey without having everything you need."

"What, exactly, is everything you need? You have your sword, the two other outfits you were given, a waterskin and some food. That's everything and yet you have looked through that bag four times since you packed it!" Rata exclaimed. I scowled half-heartedly at her. I knew that I had everything, and she knew it too. I had known I'd had everything the minute I packed the bag. I was just nervous and I needed something to do before I exploded from nerves.

We were setting out for Rivendell today and I had never been more nervous. I was excited too, mostly because I would finally be able to see something that wasn't grey stone, but the nerves were outweighing the excitement. The journey to Rivendell would take just over two weeks and those two weeks were sure to be the most dangerous and the most exciting of my life. I could die on this journey if I'm being completely honest. Orcs, wolves and other non-friendly creatures prowled the lands between Erebor and Rivendell. It was very likely that we were going to run into something before we reached the gates of the elven city.

"Calm down, Divan. We will be fine. But you must calm down. You know as well as I do that you cannot think rationally when you let your emotions get the better of you." Rata chided. I nodded slowly, pulling in a deep breath to try and calm my nerves. Emotions were both a blessing and a curse. They could give you happiness and bliss, but they could also destroy you if you weren't careful. If I didn't have control over my emotions and they got the better of me in the middle of a battle, the result could be death and I didn't really feel like dying a second time.

A heavy knock brought me from my thoughts. I called out, telling whoever was on the other side that it was alright to enter. The door cracked open and Gimli's head appeared.

"We are ready to leave, lassie." His gruff voice carried over. I felt my nerves flare back up but I shoved them back into a chest in my mind and locked it. I nodded at Gimli, grabbing the pack I had and slinging it across my back. I held up my arm for Rata, who easily scurried up to sit on my shoulder. I grabbed my sword, the same one I had used when I had sparred with Ordel that Gloín had let me keep, and started for the door.

I shut the door behind me and turned to face Gimli. The red headed dwarf had a huge grin on his rough looking face. I let my lips turn up in a smirk and shook my head.

"Come, Gimli. It would not be wise to keep your father and the others waiting." I told him. Gimli nodded, turned and started walking. I followed behind him, securing my sword to my belt as we walked.

It didn't take long to reach the main halls where Gloín and the other dwarves that would accompany us were waiting. Everyone carried a pack much like mine which contained their waterskins and a portion of the food that we would have for our journey. Each dwarf carried at least two weapons, axes mostly. I almost rolled my eyes but managed to refrain.

"There ye are! Was wondering where ye both were at!" Gloín exclaimed. I chuckled.

"You need not wonder now. We are here." I stated. Gloín flashed a grin before turning to the rest of our company.

"We leave today for the elven city beyond the mountains! Stick close together, there are all sorts of wicked creatures out there. We shall arrive in two weeks time." Gloín announced. I saw many scowls at the mention of the elves. No doubt they were thinking of their on-going feud with the immortal race. I pursed my lips as we headed for the doors that would lead to freedom from the never ending grey walls.

Once the doors opened, I got a face full of fresh, clean air. The corners of my lips turned up in a small smile as the air hit me. They turned up to reveal a large grin once we were outside the mountain, the large doors closing behind us. My lips parted as I spread my arms, laughing joyously at being out in the air once again. Rata launched herself from my shoulder, flying a little ways ahead of us and startling many of the group before she tilted her wings and flew straight up into the air. My smile grew impossibly larger as I watched her and I laughed again.

I was aware of eyes on me but I couldn't find it in myself to care. The dwarven halls were beautiful in their own way, but nothing could compare to the sight before me. Dark green hills rising and falling, trees with leaves like emeralds, a sky that was such a light blue it was almost white and the gushing river coming down from the mountain. It was the most breathtaking sight I had ever seen.

Rata was racing through the air, twisting and turning and diving only to rise again. She was as happy as I was if not happier to once again see the sky. The wide open space giving her all the room she could ever want to fly to her heart's content. I wished I could join her up there, in the freedom of the wind.

Eventually, she circled around behind the group and swooped down to land on my shoulder, her talons digging in to keep from flying back off. I knew that she would have been smiling if she could have but I could still see the happiness in her eyes. She was overjoyed to be outside and I couldn't blame her. I was too.

"Ye are both free spirits." I turned to look at Gimli, who had appeared beside me. I raised an eyebrow, a silent question. What was he talking about? "Ye both treasure the open air. Ye survived in our home under the mountain, but ye did not truly enjoy it as much as ye could have. Ye enjoy wide open air, the trees and the grasses beneath your toes." Gimli murmured. I glanced around to see all the dwarves watching Rata and I. I looked back to Gimli.

"Your home under the mountain is truly beautiful Gimli. Do not think otherwise. But you are correct. Rata and I, we thrive in the open air, where we can see the sky and feel the warmth of the sun. We are much like the elves in a sense, I suppose. The trees, the land is what we thrive on. We can survive under the mountain, but we truly live out in the open." I said, my voice gentle. I didn't want to offend my companions but the words he had spoken were true and I couldn't deny them. Many would probably say that I had the spirit of an elf. The love of nature.

"Ye will stay with the elves then, will ye not?" another dwarf, a younger one, asked. I sighed.

"I do not know. I will find answers at Rivendell, answers that I have not gotten here. It will be those answers that will decide my fate. I must wait until then to decide." I smiled gently "So perhaps it would be wise to take advantage of our time together. We may only have a little left."

The looks I received from my companions were looks of agreement. Gloín stepped forward. "Ye are right, lassie. Come, let us be on our way and let us be merry while we are at it." he announced. The others nodded, grins on their hairy faces. Then, I had an idea.

"Perhaps a race, then?" Rata cackled with laughter.

_-Pagebreak-_

It was times like these that I was really happy I took Martial Arts as a kid. The art of self-defense was an art that I had only used about half a dozen times, but it was an art that brought security with it. I was always sure that if I ever had to, I could defend myself or anyone around me from an attacker. It didn't necessarily mean that I'd come out on top, but it did mean that I could at least try.

I grunted as I blocked another blow from the orc. Reckless though these were, they could still pack a punch. I jumped backwards as another tried to stab me. I glared, the blasted thing. As I shoved my sword through the orc's abdomen, the thought vaguely, and rather ridiculously, crossed my mind that the words had sounded oddly British inside my head. I gave a half shrug to myself. Why I was thinking of British accents during a fight with orcs was beyond me.

Confused? Maybe I should rewind a few hours…

_Roughly Two Hours Earlier_

"I am not trying to tell you that an axe is an ill-efficient weapon for battle! I am just saying that they are not as logical as a sword." I muttered. Dwarves were such a stubborn race.

"How do ye figure that, Lassie?! An axe is the most efficient weapon there is!" Gimli exclaimed. He was red hot mad and looking for a way to dig deeper into something that wasn't that bad. They were hotheaded _and_ stubborn. I sighed.

"If you are trapped in a closed space, do you honestly think that you will be able to swing that axe around? Wielding a sword doesn't have to involve swinging like an axe. Swords are easier to maneuver as well. Honestly, I do not see how you cannot see it."

"But what of when ye are surrounded? An axe comes in handy then I'll say. A few good swings and they are no more!"

"While that may be true –"

"May be?! It is a fact, lassie!" Gimli roared. He started on a tirade, preaching about the advantages of carrying an axe. I rolled my eyes, trying to summon as much patience as I could muster. A week of arguing with Gimli could take its toll on anyone. I loved the red haired dwarf like a brother, and it was because of that, that I seemed to only be able to stand so much of his arguing. A pang shot through my chest at the thought of brothers. I missed mine.

Twins, younger than me by almost ten years. They, even though they constantly drove me up walls, were the light of my life. I would have done anything for them. The thought of never seeing them again broke my heart and it was only comforted by the fact that, while they could never replace my parents or my siblings, I had a new family here in Middle Earth. A family that would stick by each other no matter what.

Rata, who had been flying ahead of us for some ten minutes or more, finally circled back around and came to land on my shoulder. She took one look at the still ranting Gimli and rolled her small, chocolate eyes.

"I will never understand dwarves. I think I could spend the rest of my days with them and never understand." She said. I chuckled, nodding. I definitely understood where she was coming from.

"Anything ahead of us?" I asked. Her head shook.

"It is all clear. We should make it to the clearing within a few hours." She replied. I nodded to her.

Rata had acted as a scout on our journey. She could fly much faster than we could walk and she could see much better than us. So, she went ahead, looking for any dangers or obstacles that would hinder our journey. She had even started to pick places for us to camp for the night. Tonight's would be a small clearing just over the tree covered hill in the distance. We would reach it soon, granted we all lived longer enough. From the expressions of the others, I wasn't the only one considering showing Gimli just how much of an advantage a sword could have.

_Several_ deep breaths later and we were finally emerging over the hill, roughly two hours later. It was hard to keep track of time in Middle Earth, they didn't have digital watches (Or watches at all for that matter. At least, none of my dwarven companions did.), so telling time was based on shadow and sun positions. I was pretty sure I had burned my retinas off because of how much I'd looked up.

I collapsed on the ground the minute we stopped, happy that at least for a moment I could focus on the thought of food and sleep, not of Gimli and axes. The moment was, of course, short lived. Because nothing, absolutely nothing, can ever be easy.

I heard them before I saw them. I really don't know how we missed them. They had to have been hiding in the trees when we entered the clearing, but we must have been too distracted to notice. Anyway, I heard them first. I had just lurched to my feet, my mouth open to shout a warning to my companions, when they dropped from the trees and started their assault. I barely had time to grab my sword before the first one was in front of me, and by then it was too late to do anything but fight anyway.

I wasn't really aware of anything, yet I was aware of everything. Is that how it is when you're in a battle? I suppose it is. The adrenaline was pumping through my veins, the skin of my knuckles turning first white as I gripped tightly to the handle of my sword, and then black as the blood of the orcs started to drip down the blade and onto my hands. I tried to keep track of Gimli, Gloín, Rata, but the only thing I could see were greyish-brown skinned backs of orcs. How many were there? Too many to keep track of, that was for sure.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. The orcs were laying in lifeless heaps and all my companions were standing, breathing heavily and brandishing weapons, scanning for any more foul creatures. I spotted Rata landing on a branch of a rather tall tree, something silver falling to the ground below her. A dagger. She'd taken it from one of the orcs and had dropped it.

I slowly let my sword fall to my side. I stared at the dead bodies littering the clearing we had been about to use. I plopped down then, flopping onto my back and startling the others. Gimli took a few steps forward, concern in his eyes. I just closed mine and leaned my head back.

"Never again. This is the last time I fight orcs." I grumbled "Now I'm covered in sticky black and we don't even know where the next stream is."

I heard a few sighs of relief. I wasn't seriously injured. I was tempted to roll my eyes. Instead, I glanced over at the others and smirked at Gimli.

"My sword beat your axe, by the way." His mouth dropped open. He closed it, opened it again, closed it, opened, closed, opened it one last time… Then the tirade began again. Through his shouting, I'm almost positive I heard a few dwarvish curses thrown my way. I smiled. Oh home, sweet home.

_Kijo_

"Okay, so this is the plan…"

_Earlier_

'_The gardens really are beautiful here.'_ Kijo thought to herself as she stared at the scene before her. It was one of the rare moments when she wasn't under the watchful eye of Arwen. Since her meeting with the twins some days earlier, Elrond and his daughter had kept a close eye on her. Apparently, they thought she'd go running off to find the twins and probably get into some sort of trouble.

'_And it's completely true and you know it.'_ Kijo thought. It was true. The simple, quiet life in Rivendell was so boring. She wanted excitement, adventure! The twins were the only people in the entire city that shared her thoughts. So she was very inclined to seek them out for a little fun. Which is how Tezo ended up playing messenger.

'_**I found them. Well, one of them. I'm not sure which one it is either. They look the same.' **_ The black and white wolf mumbled. Kijo laughed, not because she was mocking him but because she knew exactly how he felt. She couldn't tell them apart either.

'_**It doesn't matter which one you found. Just that you found one of them.'**_ Kijo replied. The wolf gave his best version of a scowl as they waited for the dark haired elf to arrive.

It didn't take long. He appeared, more or less out of thin air, looking perfect as all elves do. Kijo cursed their ability to be so perfect. How did they do it? Not a single hair was out of place!

"You wished to see me, my lady?" the twin asked. Kijo found herself scowling. Why he and every other bloody elf in this city had to refer to her as 'lady' she didn't understand. She'd tried to make him understand that he didn't have to use 'lady', but either he didn't get it, or he didn't want to. She had the slight impression that it was the latter.

"Yes, I did." Kijo answered "I have a proposition for you. A game, of sorts."

The twin raised a perfect dark eyebrow. "A game? What kind of game?" he questioned suspiciously. Kijo grinned.

"One that will probably get us into trouble with your father and your sister. Granted you're up to it." Kijo goaded. A slow grin came to the twin's face.

"Trouble?"

"A whole heap of it."

_-Pagebreak-_

"You are suggesting that we scatter the animals? Where is the logic in that?" Elladan asked. Kijo gave a frustrated sigh.

"It makes perfect sense! We send them running, get them all riled up. They run through everything! They scatter people and cause total disarray! It's perfect if we want a little excitement!" Kijo exclaimed. At her feet, Tezo snorted.

'_**Perfect if you want to get yourself murdered, maybe. Arwen will kill you, you realize this, right?' **_Kijo scowled down at the wolf.

'_**Let me have my fun.'**_

Tezo rolled his blue eyes. She'd regret the decision later, after she was punished with extremely harsh lessons of elvish, which she still couldn't understand any of. Whether because she refused to understand it or her brain couldn't connect the thoughts together was beyond Tezo. She'd learnt Spanish easily enough.

"You truly believe that this will work?" Elrohir questioned. Kijo nodded excitedly, her head bouncing up and down like a bobble-head on speed. The twins shared a glance, one of uncertainty. They didn't quite believe her.

"Oh for… Just do it! I promise you won't be disappointed!" She exclaimed. Reluctantly, the twins nodded.

"What shall we do then?" the twins asked simultaneously. Kijo felt her eye twitch. She hated it when they did that. It creeped her out. They looked and sounded too much alike as it was, speaking completely in sync only made it sound like they were one person. If they weren't standing side-by-side, you _would_ think they were one person.

"Find whatever animals you can and let them out of their pens. Send them running. I'll go to the stables and let the horses out, since that's the only place I know… They will stay in the city, right?" Kijo said. Both twins nodded.

"Rarely do any animals ever wander out the gates. If they would find their way to them, the guards bid them return." Elrohir stated. Kijo gave a swift nod.

"Okay, this is the plan. You guys know your jobs?" Kijo asked. Elrohir and Elladan both nodded. "Alright, we'll meet by that spot down by the water. The one hidden in the trees. Okay?" Again both twins nodded. "Alright! Let's do this!" She exclaimed.

Both twins took off in opposite directions, leaving Kijo and Tezo alone. Kijo grinned slyly, ready to set to work. "Come on Tezo. Let's roll." Kijo bounded off, barely realizing that her companion wasn't following her. She stopped, turned and raised an eyebrow at the wolf still lying under the tree. "Aren't you coming?"

'_**Unlike you, I don't have a death wish. I am perfectly happy right here, thank you. If you want to go get yourself killed, be my guest.**_ _**I'm staying here.'**_ Tezo replied. Kijo's brow drew down.

"But… but you'll miss all the fun!" She whined. Tezo snorted back at her.

'_**Death by Arwen is not how I pictured the end of my life. If fun causes my death, I'd rather be boring.'**_

Kijo huffed. "Fine, party-pooper. I'll go have fun by myself!" She stuck her tongue out at the wolf and then bounded off through the trees. Tezo rolled his eyes. When would she learn? Probably never.

Kijo managed to get to the stables without being seen, a huge feat for her. Divan had told her once that she couldn't be quiet or discreet to save her life. _'That's a lie! I managed to get here, didn't I! Take that!' _Kijo thought to herself. _'If only Di could see me now. Playing pranks with Elrond's twins. Wouldn't she be jealous. Or maybe not. She did tell me once that her favorite elf wasn't the twins. It was some dude with blonde hair. Which one? He used a bow. But that really isn't relevant. They all use bows, stupid elves. Why do they have to be so good at everything?!'_

Kijo paused her mental rant, checking the corridor of the stables for any elves. When she found none, she crept carefully inside. Or rather, tried to creep carefully. She ended up on her face, a common occurrence in her day-to-day life on Earth. Kijo groaned. _'So much for being sneaky. Dang it!'_

She hauled herself to her feet, brushing the dirt off the dress she was wearing. Yes, another dress. Arwen wouldn't let her wear anything else. She liked dresses, but she really wanted a pair of pants. Was that too much to ask? Besides, pulling a prank in a dress wasn't all that practical anyhow. Oh well, she'd make do.

She slid along the wall. Coming to the first stall door, she unlatched it and let the door swing open. One down, too many to count to go. She went down the row, undoing latches and letting doors swing open. When she finally reached the end, she turned, expecting the horses to be milling in the hall. Instead, their heads poked out. Nothing more. Kijo scowled.

"Go on! Get! Go! Shoo!" She waved her arms in the air. They didn't move. Kijo's scowl deepened. She tried more hand gestures, words that were meant to make animals move. Nothing worked. With a frustrated growl, she turned and kicked a chest that contained an array of tools. Kijo winced, hopping up and down while holding her now throbbing foot, as tools fell out and clattered to the floor.

Like the flood-gate had been opened, every horse in the stables seemed to shoot out at once. They filled the hall, knocking Kijo to the ground and forcing her to take cover against the wall to avoid being trampled.

Only when the stable was quiet did Kijo dare to remove her hands from her head. Peaking between her arms, she looked for any sign of a 1400 pound animal ready to trample her. Finding none, she slowly got to her feet. A smile spread across her face. Mission accomplished. Well, part one anyway. Now she just had to meet up with the twins.

With a skip in her step, she left the stables. She took her time, following the winding path that led down to the little place by the river. Elrohir (or maybe it was Elladan) was already there. He glanced up at her approach, a grin spreading over his face.

"Did you succeed?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. Now we just wait for Dan and let our magic go to work." She received an odd expression at that and at first she thought he didn't get the expression. It was, after all, more of an Earthly expression. She quickly figured out that it had nothing to do with that, but with her ability to tell people apart.

"I am Elladan, Lady Kijo. My brother is the one that is not here."

Kijo felt her face redden. Of course it would be. "Sorry… I still can't tell you two apart. Look too much alike."

"Who looks too much alike?" the other twin asked as he appeared from between a pair of trees. Kijo jumped.

"Jeez Ro! You scared the crap out of me!"

"Did I? Would you like some time to yourself then? To take care of that problem?"

Kijo's mouth dropped open and her face became even redder. Both twins were openly smirking at her, finding obvious amusement in her embarrassment.

'_Oh I swear! It's like dealing with Di! Twice! She would've said the exact same thing!'_ Kijo growled to herself. She wanted to say something smart and witty, but couldn't think of anything that would be good enough. Instead, she settled for pouting. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stuck her bottom lip out. Both elves started laughing.

Five minutes later, after they were done, Elrohir asked how long they had to wait before their plan worked. As if on cue, they could hear shrieks and screams coming from within the city. The three shared identical looks of excitement. Mission accomplished, for real this time.

Figuring it safer to remain in that spot instead of trying to make their way back to their rooms, the three sat down and started discussing how well their plan had worked. Whether because they were too busy talking or because Arwen had gotten even quieter when she walked, none of them heard her approach. So when they looked up to find a stern and rather angry faced Arwen, the twins did what they did best. They ran.

The twins bolted, leaving Kijo alone to fend for herself. She thought about running, but she knew that she couldn't outrun the elf, even if Arwen was in a dress. So, shrinking down, she prepared herself for the worst.

"Come with me." Three simple words said in a monotone was enough to strike fear into Kijo's heart.

'_This is bad. This is very, very bad.'_ she thought to herself as she followed meekly behind the dark haired woman.

'_**Told ya so. Have fun dying!'**_ Tezo sounded in her head. Kijo scowled.

'_**The only one that's gonna be dying is you. Did you rat us out?' **_Kijo growled. Tezo scoffed.

'_**Like I had to. Everyone knew the minute it happened who it was. It was obvious.' **_Tezo replied _**'Which is why you're a dead woman. Good luck saying **_"I will not play pranks"_** a hundred times in elvish.'**_ Kijo froze.

"Come on!" Arwen exclaimed unhappily.

'_This is bad. This is very, very bad.'_


End file.
